Homefront: Liberation
by Demo ODST
Summary: Seven years after Korea's Electromagnetic pulse attack, Anya Wood is searching for her captured brother on the outskirts of Denver, when she encounters an odd pair. little does she know, her life, and her brother's, will soon be in the paws of one soldiers loyal companion.
1. Canine Warrior

**alright, first off, this story is connected to a story by** Cybroid and Drac0tam3r Rod **called** War For Freedom. **and yse, those links should bounce you to their profiles and the other story. i will not say how they are connected, but it may come up in War For Freedom before it does in Liberation.**

 **anyway, now that that is out of the way, i hope yall enjoy this and i am begging you to review the crap out of this.**

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 _"No matter how close we are to another person, few human relationships are as free from strife, disagreement, and frustration as is the relationship you have with a good dog. Few human beings give of themselves to another as a dog gives of itself. I also suspect that we cherish dogs because their unblemished souls make us wish - consciously or unconsciously - that we were as innocent as they are, and make us yearn for a place where innocence is universal and where the meanness, the betrayals, and the cruelties of this world are unknown."_

 _-Dean Koontz_

* * *

 _Wanderer, North of Denver, Colorado, December 2031_

I sighed as I sat down in the dining room of an abandoned house, having just narrowly dodged a Korean People's Army patrol. The small home was torn and tattered, looters having ripped anything of value out of the home likely years ago, but even then, the furniture was in fairly decent condition, making the padded dining room chair still comfortable next to the wooden table. I rested my near century old M1 Garand on my lap, my small ruck sack already dropped beside me. My eyes closed as I slouched in the chair, not for the first time simply wanting to give up my one man war against the KPA, feeling like I hadn't even made a dent in the KPA's power. A wet nose poked my hand, making me smirk. _A one man one_ _ **dog**_ _war._ I opened my eyes and leaned forward, rubbing the top of the gorgeous German Shepard's head, even though there was a rig strapped on it. The rig was a battery, centered on the top of her head, with a pair of straps dropping on either side of her ears. Over her right ear were two small cylinders, one a camera, one a small signal flashlight. Running behind and into her left ear was a small earbud and mike, allowing me to give her commands over the radio and hear her make any alert noises. She was also wearing a tight faded olive vest with Kevlar soft plates in it, covering her chest and ribcage. On this vest was a radio as well as small vibrators and gentle shockers, designed to allow someone to remotely give her movement commands. She wagged her tail as I scratched behind her ear, a pleasured expression on her face. I smiled again and stopped, earning a pair of licks from her.

"What do you say girl, should we keep trying to find a way into Denver?" she barked so softly that one might have thought it was a recording. It was something that was special to her, being able to change the volume of her bark. Her bark was almost like she was saying yes. She always seemed to understand what I was saying, something that had always annoyed her original handler to no end.

"You sure Roxy?" she barked in confirmation again, drawing another smile to my face and earning her another ear scratch.

"Alright gal. let's go. Maybe if we go back north on twenty-five, then west on one oh fourth, that will get us out of their patrol areas and let us drop down to the west side of the wall." I shrugged as I spoke aloud, almost to myself as I did my best to picture the Denver area in my head. I grabbed my ruck sack off the floor and headed for the shattered glass door leading to the back yard. She followed me out into the yard, a simple hand gesture telling her to be on alert. I walked over to the back fence and rolled the sleeve of my leather jacket up to reveal a thin, clear flexible polymer covering my forearm. One press of a black button caused a blue light to flood the screen, a camera overlay projecting into the right lens of the built in ballistic glasses on my helmet. I could see myself in it and smirked, knowing the camera on her head was still working before I lifted her up high enough to see over the fence.

"Scan." Her head traversed back and forth at my whisper, letting me see the deserted back yard beyond. I set her down and took a few steps back, the fresh snow crunching softly under my feet. I faced the fence and slung the rifle so that the strap was diagonally across my chest, then ran at the fence and leapt. I managed to get high enough with my jump that my arms could easily lock over the other side. My leg swung up onto the fence and I used it to drag myself over and drop to the other side. After a sharp whistle, Roxy's brown paws appeared on the fence, catching her own leap at the fence. Her paws scrabbled against the wood for a second before she managed to haul herself over, dropping right into my waiting arms.

"Good girl." She wagged at my soft whisper and we moved through a collapsed section of fence, into the next yard over. I was about to step into the house when a faint growl slipped out of her. I held a fist down to her before shouldering my M1 and cautiously stepping into the house. As soon as I had a view of the front window, I could see a half dozen KPA soldiers marching through the street, weapons raised and scanning. I almost swore when I saw them, knowing that if they had foot patrols this far out, then cutting north would do me very little good.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, North of Denver, Colorado_

Anya Wood adjusted her grip on the old bolt action rifle she had balanced in her hands. As little about weapons as she knew, she could still admire the beauty of the nineteen forties weapon, with it's deep crimson wood, the barest trace of a sheen on it. she had also wrapped some rough wool over it, hiding most of the wood and the metal of the old scope attached to the Russian rifle, only recognizing it as such due to the soviet factory mark just in front of the silver bent bolt, almost hidden by the raised scope. The raised up scope allowed the user to still use the iron sights on the weapon, in case they were two close for the scope. She kept her finger well away from the trigger as she walked, having learned the hard way what it meant to have a weapon with no safety built into it, unlike the handgun on her hip or the assault rifle on her back. The hand gun was a fair sized forty caliber made by Berretta. She assumed it was called the Px4 Storm, given it was written along the side of the weapon.

The assault rifle on her back was only known to her because of the person she had gotten from, being the sole surviving soldier from his unit. It was a military M468 assault rifle. Ammo for it was less common than it's five point five six millimeter brethren, but, at the same time, ammo was easier to find for it. Most of the five five six ammo was quickly scooped up by resistance fighters or Korean People's Army soldiers. Whereas, six point eight millimeter ammo could still be found on store shelves, left there due to the rarity of six eight chambered rifles. But, although rarer, the six eight rounds hit harder than other assault rifle rounds, punching through KPA body armor like a knife through butter. Her particular rifle had an EO tech holographic sight on it, floating quad pictinny rails for various attachments, fold down magpul back up iron sights, a flashlight, vertical for grip, and a green/Infrared laser assembly. It was also on a single point sling, connected just below the stock, behind the trigger and main grip. Aside from the different caliber and floating rails, it looked very much the same as the M4 and M4A1 that was the standard of the KPA.

Anya shivered slightly as she marched down the street, her assault rifle bouncing on her back. She knew the thin grey hooded sweatshirt she was wearing was hilariously inadequate for the cold winter that was starting, but it was all she had, aside from the thin shirt and tight, ratty jeans she was wearing. She had a belt loosely around her thin waist, a few pouches for her pistol magazines lining it. a small twin double pouch hung off the belt, strapped to her thigh. The larger pouches held four full twenty-eight round magazines for her assault rifle, and she had a bandolier over her shoulder, running under her M468's sling. The bandolier had sixty rounds for her sniper rifle on it, all tucked into individual sleeves. Although the amount of ammo she carried was heavy and somewhat cumbersome, she had slowly learned over the past few years to manage it, even in a direct firefight, although she tried to avoid those at all costs. Her eyes were scanning the street ahead of her almost constantly, trying to see any sign of life. After a while, and a turn into a smaller neighborhood street, she could see a small KPA patrol, consisting of at least half a dozen soldiers. She quickly slid beside one of the houses, noticing a knocked over ladder half buried in the snow. She quickly propped it up on the wall and crawled up to the roof. Once up there, she carefully crawled across the roof to the edge, resting her rifle in the snow so she could line the scope up on them. The scope itself was very simple, just having three pointed bars pointed toward the center, one up from the bottom, and two horizontally from the left and right. She focused on the patrol, noticing that they were full blown soldiers, their armor and helmets colored black and white to help hide them in the snow. One of the soldiers stood out in the group, wearing a deep red beret instead of a helmet. This marked him as an officer of some rank.

Suddenly, all seven of the soldiers jumped, their rifles raising to one of the houses as a loud bark echoed to Anya's ears. Confused, she focused on that building, seeing a black and brown dog in what looked like an olive green vest at one of the front corners. Before the KPA soldiers could move closer, a booming rifle shot rang out, one of the KPA collapsing. Anya hadn't seen the muzzle flash, but the soldiers had all snapped toward a house just three houses down from the dog. She could see a splash of crimson in the snow from the fresh corpse. Movement suddenly caught her eye as the dog darted across the street and behind the hulk of a stripped car. Another bark issued to her and half the KPA flipped around, rifles still raised. Anya took this as her chance to help and focused on the soldier in the beret, lining his head up dead center of the three prongs before she slowly let her breath out. One gentle squeeze of the trigger later, and the rifle was bucking up against her shoulder with a resounding crack. She couldn't see through her scope, but she could clearly see one of the soldiers drop with her naked eye. As soon as she had finished working the bolt, she stared through the scope again. The red bereted soldier was now lying face first in the snow. She lined up on a second soldier, a white puff of smoke already surrounding the muzzle of her rifle. She hesitated, unsure if she should fire again and likely reveal her position. She suddenly decided to sidle over to a small furnace pipe and backed down the roof enough to rest just the barrel of the rifle next to the pipe, on the roof. This forced her to crouch to aim, as she lined up on another soldier. All of them had attempted to find cover from her first shot, one taking cover right next to the dog's cover. But, the dog had smartly flattened to the ground, making it impossible to be seen by the KPA. One of the soldiers peaked up to look for her and she reacted, aiming and firing at his exposed chest. There were shouts as she slid down the roof a small way before she sidled even farther over, pulling a pair of binoculars out of her shirt. She peeked over, just as another shot rang out, seeing the muzzle flash in one of the buildings. Evidently, the KPA had seen that flash, but not hers, given all three remaining soldiers were now running toward the house it had issued from. At that same moment, the dog snaked out from behind the car and ran full pelt at the soldier that had been hiding on the other side. The dog leapt into the air and slammed into the soldier's back, grabbing his neck in the dog's jaws and torqueing. She didn't need to hear the neck snap to know it had. Although the dog had been silent up until the attack, the snapping neck caused one of the soldiers to spin around. At that exact moment, two more muzzle flashes flared out of the house, along with the cracks of the rifle. The first shot clearly hit the turning soldier dead center of his back, his arms going wide as he face planted. The second merely slumped into the snow. The dog was sniffing the air for a second, before it seemed to zero in on her. A pair of flashes flared from the side of the dog's head, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"I guess it wants me to come say hello?" she shrugged before sliding off the roof and back onto the ladder, headed toward the corpses in the street.

* * *

 _Wanderer_

I watched as blood seeped into the white snow around all but one of the seven corpses. Roxy rested her chin on my knee where I was crouched in the house, the but of my rifle firmly on the floor. After a few minutes, Roxy suddenly growled softly, letting me know that the unknown person was close. I put a fist in front of her eyes before fading deeper into the house, rifle raised and ready. A feminine figure stopped outside, crouching at one of the corpses. She had on a thin hoodie that looked horribly inadequate for the winter weather, the hood up hiding her face from me, and three separate firearms on her. An assault rifle was on her back, an old, cloth wrapped sniper rifle in her hands, and a small handgun on her hip to complete the ensemble.

"Bark." I very softly whispered the command to the German Shepard beside me, a bark instantly echoing out of her. The woman outside looked up before trotting over to the door and sliding in. I placed a hand on the top of Roxy's muzzle, telling her to stay silent as the girl started to move through the house, clearly confused, the second her back was turned to me, I stepped forward and prodded her back with the muzzle of my M1. "Don't move. Weapon on the ground, hands up. Slowly." She complied as the dog growled beside me. "Who are you!?" I let a bit of anger bleed into my voice as I spoke, more just to intimidate her than anything else.

"I… I my name is Anya. Don't shoot, please. I saw your dog and I thought I would try and help you." I lowered the weapon and clicked the safety in place. Roxy stopped growling the second the safety clicked on, yet another signal for her.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" I could see her quivering in fear, or from the cold.

"I'm trying to find my brother. The KPA captured him and are holding him in Denver." I grunted and walked past her, hearing her suddenly scramble for her rifle and jog to catch up to me.

"Wait, who are you?" I didn't even look at her as I stepped into the street.

"Wander. And this here is Roxanna. Or Roxy. And I'm here to kill every KPA bastard I can." I trudged away, not noticing that my harsh tones had frozen her in her tracks. I heard a faint whimper from behind me and looked down at Roxy, confused. She was looking back at the woman, then looked up at me and whimpered again, wagging her tail slightly, almost as if she was asking for the woman to come with us.

"What, do you want her to come with?" she did one of her quiet bark before lowering her front half as she wagged, looking like she was ready to play.

"Where are you going anyway?" I glanced at her now, seeing her pull the hood she was wearing down, revealing her deep almost brown crimson hair and deep emerald eyes that I couldn't look at without them being reminiscent of the ocean. Her hair was wrapped up in a tight bun resting on her neck, but a pair of rogue bangs showed her hair as being well below shoulder height, and surprisingly well kept. Her angular and sharp features would have been something to behold before the war started, but were something I had stopped caring for.

"Denver. Trying to find a way in to wreak havoc." I turned to keep walking on when she hollered.

"Wait! Let me come with you. I could help you, and I need to get into the city." I stopped and let her catch up to me. "Deal?" she held out her hand as she spoke. Roxy startled me yet again, nuzzling my hand toward her instead of growling at her as she usually did.

"Alright, deal, only because Roxy seems to want you around." I grabbed her hand and was about to shake it. "One condition though, you do exactly as I say, when I say it, no excuses. Do I make myself clear?" She confidently nodded and I roughly shook her hand before stalking off, forcing her to try and keep up.


	2. Ambush

**Alright, and here's another chapter, hope to get a few laughs and hopefull some reviews off of this. have to admit, did not expect how i ended this chapter at all, and i wrote it for crying out loud.**

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 _"Nobody looks like what they really are on the inside. You don't. I don't. People are much more complicated than that. It's true of everybody."_

 _-Neil Gaimen_

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 _Lone Sniper, West of Denver, Three Miles from The Wall_

Anya rubbed her sore arms, trying to relieve them. For the past two days, they had been zig-zagging through the suburban neighborhoods, sticking to the back yards and alley's as much as possible. Her body ached from climbing over fences, although some of his actions confused her. He would use the dog to avoid some patrols, while attacking and destroying others, and scavenging food off a few of the patrols. He never had her fire while he took down the KPA, which honestly confused her even more. To add to it, his zig zag pattern seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it. she was trying to figure out his reasons when he suddenly veered into one of the homes.

"Search." The one southern twanged word sent the dog ripping through home, sniffing and searching for any sign of life as he scanned the room with his rifle. The dog came trotting happily back down the stairs, a dead rat in her mouth. "Good girl! Eat up!" Anya felt the urge to puke as the dog happily chewed and ripped at the tiny rat until it was completely eaten. She glanced at Wander, just as he slid the face wrap down that normally covered his face. Her eyes looked him over for the hundredth time, taking in his gear yet again. He was strangely almost like the mixture between a civilian and a soldier. He had on a thick leather jacket, open to the elements. Beneath was a tan combat vest with a strange clay looking plate over the upper chest. Two straps ran across his chest and under his jacket, one a thin black cord with what looked like a clasp on it. the other was a thick worn bandolier, filled with the odd little metal clips his rifle used to chamber rounds. He had on a belt that two drop down rigs were on, one a handgun, one holding three long slender magazines that didn't seem to belong to either of his weapons. Pistol mag pouches lined the belt, and the ensemble was completed with knee pads and black combat boots, their color contrasting heavily with the faded digital camouflaged pants he was wearing.

"No fire tonight. We're too close to the wall, patrol might spot it." he marched up the stairs as she sat up against a wall, sighing. She quickly shifted and stripped of her weapons and ammo, piling them up against the wall. The dog trotted over to her and whined, her tail low. Anya smiled and patted the floor beside her, causing the dog to perk up before trotting over and curling up beside her, head resting on Anya's lap. She smiled and gently rubbed behind the dogs ear, earning Anya a pleasured moaning from the dog that she couldn't help but giggle at.

"Those weapons on safe?" she startled as Wander's partially southern accent ripped through the silent air. He was on his way down the stairs, a wad of blankets in his arms, helmet still strapped on.

"All but the sniper rifle. I don't think Samantha has a safety." He glared at her before dropping the blankets and scooping up her rifle.

"It's a Mosin Nagant. It may be a pain to work, but she has a fucking safety." He briskly gripped the rounded disk at the back of the bolt, pulling back on it before twisting it away from the bolt handle. There was a faint click as he released the bolt before setting the rifle down. "Why the hell did you call it Samantha?" she sighed as she slipped out from under the dog, grabbing the rifle and unwrapping the stock to reveal the name that had been painstakingly burned into the stock in beautiful calligraphy.

"I found her in an abandoned house. Made the wrap myself." She quickly rewrapped the stock and put it on the pile. She watched him as he made a bed out of the blankets before dropping on the hardwood floor beside the makeshift bed. She gave him a puzzled look as he slid his old rifle off his back, laying it on the floor in front of him, the grip at eye level. "Um, why make a bed if you aren't going to use it?" he rolled back and looked at her with his steel grey eyes, his young face still shocking her.

"'cause I didn't make it for me." The dog trotted over as he spoke and started to lay down on it. "And it aint for you either Roxy! Get over here ya silly gal." For a second, Anya thought he was talking to her until the dog stepped over Wander and curled up next to his chest, giving his face a single lick before settling. Anya quickly snaked under the top blanket, relieved to finally be off her feet. She glanced at Wander, his always scarily steady breath deep and even, unable to tell if he was already asleep. Her eye's slowly drooped closed and she slipped off to sleep, blissfully unaware of the world and worries she had during the day.

* * *

 _Wanderer_

 _I walked through a field of tall grass, smiling at the calm life around me. Deer and rabbits and other animals were startled away from me at my usually quiet appearance. My hands naturally shifted the old rifle in my hands, admiring the weapon that had already saved my life once before. Although heavy, and nearly ninety years old, the weapon was a semi-automatic, far superior to the bolt action rifles that were the commonplace of the day. Although it did not have the accuracy of its bolt action brethren, it was still effective out to eight hundred yards, unlike the thousand yards of the bolt actions, was similar in power to them. That, coupled with more shots between reloads, and not needing to work a bolt, made the rifle still effective even in today's combat. Grass crunched behind me, and I instantly recognized the shadow on the path beside me._

 _"Caylee, when are you going to learn to watch your shadow?" I heard her usually sweet voice curse behind me before she trotted up beside me._

 _"I can sneak up on everyone else just fine thank you! You always know when I'm nearby. I almost think your nose is as good as the dogs." I smirked and let go of the grip on my rifle, freeing my hand to wrap it over her shoulders. She let her head rest on my shoulder as we walked, her long wavy brown hair fluttering slightly in the wind._

 _"I'll try to take that as a compliment." She smiled and kissed my cheek. Suddenly, a loud echoing boom filled the air and we both went wide eyed, just before taking off at a run._

My eye's jerked open, snapping around the dark home like I expected the place to be on fire. Tears were on my face and I felt a cold wet nose nudge my chin. I looked down and scratched behind her ear. It didn't seem to counsel her at all as she whined softly at me.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper_

A whimper echoed into Anya's ears causing her to open her eyes. Wander was still facing away from her, but she heard his soft voice speak, presumably to the dog.

"It's okay Roxy. I know you're worried, I just….. I still dream about her." The dog whimpered again and he continued on his own. "I know, you miss her too." He sighed again and kept speaking. "hell, I miss all of them. Dan, Caylee, Jacobs. The whole crew." The dog whimpered softly until she heard a gentle scratching noise. After a second or so, his voice returned, much louder.

"Oh, awl stop! Please!" she closed her eyes, feigning sleep as he rolled over. He continued to make noises until one of his elbows accidently hit her. She feigned startling awake as the dog was on his chest, licking his face over and over.

"What the heck are you doing!? I'm trying to sleep here!" he finally forced the dog off, speaking in one of the lightest voices she had heard from him.

"Sorry, sorry, dog attack in progress!" she laughed as the dog strained against his arms, stretching to reach his face, still licking the air between them. "Roxy, come on gal, stop it!" the dog finally relaxed, still wagging madly. The dog looked at Anya before leaping off Wander and onto Anya, licking her face instead.

"Hey, hey! Get the dog off me!" he grabbed Roxy and pulled her off, the dog looking up and licking his chin once. "jeez, I know I need a bath but it isn't _that_ bad yet." She looked up at wander after she wiped the slobber off her face, seeing the shocked expression on Wander's face. "what?"

"I… Roxy hasn't been like that with someone other than me in, years!" she raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. "she normally growls and tries to bite anyone who comes close." She smirked and stood up stretching.

"Who was the last person she did that too?" his face darkened and he remained silent after she spoke. She shrugged and collected her gear, quickly strapping it on and picking up her rifle.

"we're not far from the wall, and it's still dark, so lets try and find a way in." she sighed and nodded as he made a lowered fist toward the dog. The dog instantly snapped to his left side. They crossed a few more streets before the dog suddenly growled, but the warning came to late as a KPA soldier shouted.

"It's the dog soldier! Get him!"

* * *

 _Wanderer_

I saw the KPA squad and instinctively leapt back, slamming into Anya and sending both of us back into beside the house. Roxy, meanwhile, took off across the street, sliding behind a car. Tiny sparks pinged off the metal of the car as wood splinters ripped away from the wall. Rapid cracks and bangs accompanied the bullets that were ripping past them.

"Anya, there is way too many of them for a straight up fight. When I tell you to, run." She didn't get the chance to respond as I leaned around the corner and fired, not even looking down the sights. Surprisingly, one of the KPA soldiers dropped, screaming in agony. But return shots forced me back. "Damn it, too many for that. Anya, back the way we came. You are going to have to find your own way into Denver." She gave me a confused look, clearly not understanding what I was implying.

"Wait, what are you…." I cut her off and shoved her toward the fence.

"Just go you stupid bitch!" I didn't pay attention to her as I slung my M1 and undid the clasp over my chest. In one smooth, heavily practiced, motion, I caught the fold out stock on the small submachine gun that hung loosely on my back, instantly folding it out and lightly tossing the weapon. As soon as the weapon left my hand, I was sifting my hands to catch the weapon by both it's rgips, instantly readying the military Kriss Vector. It had a fore grip on it, as well as a flash light and an EO-tech sight that I quickly powered on.

"Wander, what about you? You cant fight a whole squad on your own!" I glared at her and shoved her back the way we came yet again.

"I told you to run!" she gave me one more backwards glance before sprinting away, leaving me to deal with the soldiers. They had stopped firing and I could hear Roxy whimpering over the radio. She looked fine from where I was, just cowering after the hail of bullets. I opened the feed from Roxy's camera, speaking very softly.

"Roxy, scan." She perked her ears up and slowly raised her head to the now shattered car windows. Roughly two dozen KPA soldiers in their white out camoed armor were slowly advancing on where I was. Two of them were within just feet of where I was, and I reacted by sticking the SMG around the corner and squeezing the trigger. Although still heavily, the weapon only really bounced back, not pitching up like most weapons on full auto. On Roxy's camera, the two soldiers dropped and I stepped around the corner, bringing the weapon to my shoulder and firing short controlled bursts as the KPA scattered.

"Roxy, retreat!" the dog sprinted back across the street and through the smashed fence. I quickly swapped the empty magazine in my weapon for a fresh thirty-six round magazine off my thigh. Bullets started ripping through the wall again and I shied away, but not in time. Something ripped through my upper arm, and I nearly dropped my vector trying to grip the wound.

"Fuck!" the curse ripped out of it's own accord, deep pulse spikes of pain ripping away from the bleeding wound every second or so. A KPA soldier stepped around the corner, to quick for me to respond, but a rifle shot rang out. Half his head burst open and he fell to the ground, another shot following a few seconds later. I could feel blood dripping down my arm under the jacket and I quickly stood and ran, holding the weapon with my injured left and griping the wound with my uninjured right.

* * *

Anya slowed to a stop a few blocks down the street, having sprinted the whole way there. Wild thoughts ripped through her mind, suddenly very worried about Wander, even with how harsh he could be at times. The street had curved a block or two down, and she was standing at that curve. She heard the gunfire cease and her heart leapt into her throat. She sprinted into the houses and up to the second story, quickly finding a room with a great view down the street she could see where Wander was still holding, and the whole KPA group was creeping up on him. He suddenly stuck his weapon around the corner and fired a fully automatic burst. Two of the KPA fell, the others scattering as he stepped around the corner and aimed properly, the dog dashing back across the street as he covered her. His weapon emptied and he slid back, the KPA quickly continuing their assault. She saw him suddenly nearly drop his weapon, falling back onto his rear as he clutched his wound. A KPA soldier suddenly sprinted toward his position, almost to fast for Anya to react. Almost. She snapped her rifle in his direction and fired, just as he was stepping around the corner. She knew it was a clean hit as the corpse collapsed, working the bolt and firing again, at one of the troopers that had been covering the assaulter. The round missed him, but she knew it must have sprayed metal shards at him by how close it was. Wander quickly disappeared through the wrecked fence. She fired the last round in her weapon, satisfied to see the soldier she had aimed at dropped. She quickly rushed out of the building and just in time. As she ran down the stairs, the upstairs was engulfed in an explosion. Evidently, one of the soldiers had been carrying a grenade launcher. She sprinted out of the houses and saw Roxy a few dozen feet away. She barked frantically at Anya.

"Alright, I'm coming Roxy!" she sprinted at the dog and Roxy turned and ran, leading her away from the KPA group. She could hear the sound of massive sirens going off inside the wall. She cursed and followed the dog into a small department store. She was about to call for Wander when a figure popped out from behind the counter to her right, aiming a pistol at her. She nearly dropped her empty rifle, only stopping when she realized that it was Wander, missing his jacket and ruck sack. His face was contorted in pain as he dropped back down behind the counter, causing her to slide over it to him.

"Hey, you okay Wander?" he shook his head, still clutching the bleeding wound. It had soaked the camouflaged sleeve that had been hidden underneath his jacket.

"Bastards got me in the arm. Clean through but darned thing hurts like nobody's business." She nodded and helped him strip out of the combat vest and the camouflaged shirt, leaving him in a t-shirt. "In my pack, med kit." She nodded and opened his pack to find ammo and explosives in it, most of it in boxes. She dug through it until she found the small kit, finding a near empty bottle of morphine and filling the last dose of the pain killer into a syringe. He snatched it from her and injected himself before she started bandaging his arm.

"i… you are going to need a doctor. I'm bad with injuries." He shrugged her off as he leaned against the counter, panting. A helicopter rushed over, making her reach for her assault rifle.

"We…We need to move. I….. I think I have enough C4 to blow our way into Denver, and I know a cell in there. We just.. need to get in there." She nodded and helped him strap his gear on, holding her hand out to him. He accepted it and she gathered his weapons, helping him sling them before leading the way out. "Roxy, guide." The dog barked once before trotting off ahead, leading them toward the wall and way from the KPA soldiers.


	3. Failure at the Wall

**And here is another chapter. thought i might throw a little more back story for one of the characters your way, and yes, dont be alarmed if it doesnt quite make sense yet, the next chapter will clear it up a little, and introduce some more characters.**

* * *

 _"The hardest battles are rarely ever fought on the battlefield, but within our own minds and bodies. Battles of the heart are the hardest of them all, because the only one truly able to fight them, is yourself."_

 _-Me_

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Denver outskirts, December, 2031_

Anya sat in crew area of a department store, a long window on the second story giving her a clear view of the wall. It was a thirty foot tall, solid concrete structure, with a sentry turret every twenty meters or so along it. Sentry turrets were tall, quad legged, mobile platforms that had a RADAR guided twenty five millimeter rotary cannon. They were devastating and efficient, able to destroy even lightly armored vehicles. She had never been able to take even one down before. Their blue searchlights panned back and forth across the area as the sun began to rise in the distance. She sighed as she glanced over at Wander, seeing him clutching at his arm, his face contorted in pain. She could see the dull sheen of moister on his face, his face covering pulled down at the moment.

"Well, how are we gonna even get close enough to the wall to blow in? Between the sentry turrets and the hourly patrols, they are bound to get us if we try." He stood from the small leather couch and moved over beside her. She couldn't help but notice that a strange odor was starting to waft off his arm.

"Well, if you give me your sniper rifle, I can sit back here and disable one of the sentry guns. That will make a gap in their coverage. You run up to the wall, place the C4 then get clear. As soon as you're clear, you detonate the charges and we rush through." He shrugged as if this was an everyday thing, making her roll her eyes at him.

"and how do you expect to take out a sentry gun, with a rifle?" he just smiled evilly, just before smashing the window.

"well, unless you have some brilliant plan." She sighed and unslung her sniper rifle, handing the long weapon to him. "Get going." She nodded and grabbed to explosive before rushing down the stairs, already unslinging her assault rifle. As soon as she was out of the store, she was sprinting across the parking lot, bobbing and weaving through the cars until she slid to a stop at the pile of rubble that had been the homes near the wall. There was a loud crack, and she saw sparks spit away from one of the turrets. It's light went out and she sprinted forward, mashing the plastic explosive against the wall and running away. As soon as she was behind the rubble again, she mashed the detonated, a deep boom ripping through the area. As soon as she smoke and dust settled, she peaked over the rubble to see a dent in the concert, nothing more.

"Fuck!" the one swear word slipped out of it's own accord. She sighed and was starting to make her way back to the department store, when a loud crack ripped through the area. She instinctively turned around, seeing the KPA soldiers up on the wall, all shouting. There was a second crack and she saw one drop, just as they started firing down at her. She panicked and started running, bullets pinging off the cars around her. Pain ripped through her thigh as one of the shots clipped her leg, causing her to tumble to the ground. She cringed at the pain and started crawling toward the building, trying to stay low. Suddenly, Roxy was with her, forcing her head under Anya's arm and using it to drag her away. Anya fought to keep up with the dog as more volley's of rifle fire ripped through the air. Suddenly the only space left was the street between the building and the lot. But, just as she was about to stand to sprint through, a loud booming filled the air. Massive chunks of brick and mortar blasted away from the building, the heavy rounds tearing clean through cars and other objects like they were paper. "shit, shit, shit!" she didn't even dare peak up and reveal her position to the soldiers, hoping the heavy machine gunner wouldn't sweep the car she was behind. There was what would have been a loud crack, if it weren't for the booming MG, just before the MG fell silent. Anya took her chance, half sprinting, half limping across the street and into the building. As soon as she was inside, she was hollering up at Wander.

"Let's go! Before they send out a search party!" she felt a hand grab her wrist and jumped, spinning to find him already before her, a fresh cut on his cheek. He jerked her toward the back of the store, her leg spiking with pain every time she stepped. They slipped through the storage in the back and out the loading area, dropping the six feet off the loading dock before disappearing into the field beyond. As soon as they were out there, he dragged her under a tree and stopped, both of them heaving for breath.

* * *

 _Wanderer, several hours later_

My arm burned with pain, almost drowning out the fevered feeling that had spread across my whole body, and I could feel it slowly swelling up for the past hour, not to mention the smell coming off of it. I knew it was only a matter of time before we would need to stop to try and treat the injury, but now was not the time to stop. The KPA had sent four gunships out into the abandoned suburbs to find us after the failed attempt to breech the wall, and every few minutes or so, one would pass over, forcing us to hunker down. They had also brought out dogs to search as well, but Roxy's keen nose and hearing kept us well away from them. We were stepping through the disheveled living room of one of the homes when a hand suddenly grabbed my uninjured arm.

"Wander, we need to treat your arm, before that infection you got brewing kills you." I wiped sweat away from my face as I debated for a bit before finally nodding. I moved to start dropping my gear when I suddenly began to become light headed, the whole room spinning. Before I could think to catch my self, I fell toward Anya. She instantly caught me, almost falling herself in the process. "Whoa there big guy, lets sit you down." I didn't fight her as she sat me on the couch and helped me strip back out of my gear. I suddenly felt frigid with out my jacket and started shivering uncontrollably. She seemed to notice this and sprinted out of the room, down a hallway until she disappeared through a door. Sunlight slowly creeped into the room as the sun began to lower in the sky, showing it as well past noon. Suddenly, Anya came jogging back with a bunch of fairly clean looking blanket and a pillow, dropping them beside me on the couch. Tucked into her belt was a whiskey bottle, knowing exactly what it was for. She quickly unwrapped the bandage on my arm, releasing a massive pungent odor into the room. The skin around the wound was tinged an ugly green color, and heavily swollen. She cursed and gently pried the scabbing apart, revealing the bloody wound beneath. She unceremoniously uncorked the bottle and poured the liquid into the wound, the sudden burst of agony sending my already spinning head almost to the point of passing out. After doing so, she dabbled some of the amber liquid onto a cloth and cleaned both sides of the wound, still burning, but nowhere near as much as when she had poured it through. Before she could do more, I snatched the bottle out of her hand and took a long swig out of it, the bitter tasting liquid burning on the way down. She seemed to ignore me for a second as she dug through my ruck sack for clean bandages, quickly re wrapping the wound. As soon as she was done, she wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, and adjusted the pillow so I could easily lay down. I quickly lay down on the couch, burying myself in the blanket.

"Th-thanks." She absently nodded and started tidying up the room, almost needlessly. Roxanna was watching from the floor of the room, one ear canted to the side. After she was done, she sat on the floor, leaning up against the couch near my feet.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" I glanced at her as she spoke, dropping her hood again as she did so.

"My arm hu-rts and I'm fucking freezing. Damn it!" I expected the venom in my words to make her jump or at least shy away, but instead, she turned toward me and placed a hand on my forearm.

"It will be okay Wander. Just rest." I closed my eyes for a second before nodding to her. After a few minutes, I felt her get up, leaving me to my sleep.

* * *

 _Rocky Mountain Arsenal northeast of Denver, July, 2027_

 _I slumped over in the grass, my legs exhausted, my stomach hollow, and a deep thirst in my mouth. My lips were cracked and dry, and every bit of my skin ached and burned a brilliant crimson. It seemed like I had been walking and running for ever, having made it all the way to Denver from my humid home in Houston. Unbeknownst to me, taking almost two years to do it. The old rifle in my hands burned my fingers where ever they touched the metal parts or the wood over the barrel, the dark wood soaking up every last ray of the sun as well as the metal. Tears leaked out of my eyes of their own will, memory's from the day the KPA arrived flashing through my mind._

* * *

 _Houston Texas, March, 2025_

 _I sat up against the bark of a tree, high up in it's branches as a gentle breeze whipped past._

 _"Damien! Get down here, mom wants to see us!" I glanced down at my sister, her short brown hair and deep brown eyes already catching the eyes of her fellow classmates, even though she was only fourteen._

 _"Alright, alright, I'm coming Hannah!" I swiftly slipped down branch by branch, dropping the last six feet to the slightly wild lawn of our back yard. I followed Hannah inside, suddenly confused when I stepped through the door. Dad had a very serious expression on his face, wearing his bullet proof vest over a t-sirt and jeans, his M1911 sidearm on his waistline and his work issued AR15 in his hands. He was sliding a magazine in place as I walked into the small living room, just before racking the charging handle back and flicking the safety off._

 _"Da-d what's going on?"_

 _"Take your sister, go upstairs, and grab yourself a weapon. Get it loaded, just like you do at the range." I was opening my mouth to speak when he shouted at me. "Just go!" I noticed just before I turned to sprint up the stairs that my mother was loading shells into the shotgun, whispering to him._

 _"Are they really attacking?" dad nodded as I rushed up the stairs, across the landing that looked over the entryway, and into my parents' bedroom. In their closet, was an old collector's piece my father had bought when he was younger. It was an M1 Garand that had been made in early nineteen-forty. On the shelf next to it, was a replica of one of the old ammunition bandoliers soldiers used to carry, already filled with clips for the old rifle. I quickly slung the bandolier over my shoulder and pulled a clip out. As soon as the rifle was in my hands, I braced it on my thigh, and rammed the small hook on the side of the bolt with the knife edge of my right hand, the clip held against my palm with my thumb. As soon as the bolt was far enough back, I pressed the eight shot clip into the magazine, holding the bolt back with my hand until the clip clicked in place. As soon as it had, I lifted my hand away, the familiar sound of metal against metal filling the cramped closet as the bolt slid forward, chambering the first round._

 _Suddenly, the entire house shook with a tremendous bang, causing me to rush back to the landing, crawling up to peak down into the entryway, my sister on her stomach beside me. The door was nothing but splinters, KPA soldiers already rushing into the home. All of them were wearing face masks and hard covers over their faces, even the officer that followed them in totaling up with seven soldiers in all. Dad had been knocked over, his nose bleeding profusely as he held his hands up, the AR15 being passed to one of the other soldiers. Mom was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, there was a loud boom from beneath us, one of the soldiers over dad being blasted down. The second the shotgun was fired, dad grabbed his handgun and opened fire, but it was too late. One of the soldiers had snapped off an automatic burst, a shrill scream coming from below followed by a shotgun blast. Three of the soldiers dropped from dad's handgun before the officer drew his sidearm and fired it repeatedly into my dad's chest. I covered my mouth to stop my scream as blood spurted from his chest, not noticing until it was too late that my sister had taken off down the stairs, straight past the soldiers to wrap her arms around dad's corpse, screaming. One of the soldiers yanked her off, but in her hand was dad's forty-five. Another flash and bang filled the living room, the soldier holding her dropping with a howl of pain as a slug ripped through his abdomen. In one smooth motion, the officer aimed and fired again, the single shot ripping though Hannah's throat. She dropped the handgun, clutching furiously at the gushing wound as she slumped to the floor. I was still frozen at the top of the stairs, unable to process what I was seeing. The officer cursed and stepped outside, a radio to his mouth. Hannah was still fighting the flow of blood out of her throat when the last soldier stepped up to her, aiming his rifle at her head and firing. As if that one shot had sent an electric shock through my body, I stood, aimed at the soldier, and fired again and again, the heavy bullets tearing through his armor like a knife through butter. My shoulder ached as the rifle pinged with the last shot, a grey metal clip ejecting with the last round. There were shots outside and I rushed down the stairs, grabbing the M1911 off the floor and sprinting out the back door, right past the blankly staring corpse of my mother. There was a hole in the back fence that led to a swampy wooded area that I quickly squeezed through, dragging both weapons through before the KPA could see me._

* * *

 _Tears flowed out of my eyes in unending torrents, unable to be stopped as I lay in the fenced off grassland, no longer wanting to live. I heard the sound of something moving through the grass, but I didn't care. I flicked the safety off the M1911 and aimed it at the underside of my chin for the last time, intending to finally pull the trigger. My eyes closed as I began to squeeze, ready for the hell to finally end when a hand suddenly ripped the weapon away, a feminine voice speaking._

 _"Whoa there. There's no need for that." I instantly shot up, rage overpowering the lack of energy in my body. I struggled with what I thought was a woman with long brown curly hair for several seconds, trying to rip the handgun from her grasp when a new set of hands gripped my arms, locking them behind my back._

 _"Hey! cut it out! That's my daughter your trying to beat the shit out of!" I continued to glare furiously at her, now seeing that she looked almost sixteen, her deep sapphire eyes staring into mine with a concerned look on her face. She was holding the pistol in her hand, almost as if she was disgusted by it. Suddenly, a dog growled and my attention was drawn to the greying German Shepard, which was wearing what looked like a combat vest. I knew I couldn't see the person holding me, but my eyes kept flicking between the dog and the girl until the anger faded away, just as suddenly as it had come. I slumped to my knees, not even noticing the man let go of me as I started sobbing uncontrollably._

 _"I'm sorry." I barely managed to speak between sobs, and almost as if on cue, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my neck, pulling me into a tight embrace as a soft voice spoke into my ear._

 _"Shh, its okay, you're going to be fine."_

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Denver, December 2031_

Anya paced back and forth in the room as the sun slowly crept down behind the distant mountains, finally letting the night take over once more. It had started snowing heavily just a few hours before, a blizzard setting in within hours, one whose howling winds could be heard through the damaged doors and windows of the house. She was about to leave the room for another blanket when a faint mumble reached her ears, to faint to be heard over the howling wind. She stepped as close as she could to Wander before she crouched down, the dog looking up from where she was sleeping in front of the couch. Wander was still fast asleep, making Anya shrug. She was again about to start searching the house when a radio crackled to life in the pile of gear, a voice emanating out.

"Wander, do you copy, over?" she scrambled over to the pile, digging through it until she found the device. By shear luck, the cord between what looked like a back mounted computer and the radio had been disconnected, letting the radio play audio out over it's speakers. She yanked it from the pouch it was in and held in the talk button, instantly speaking.

"Hello, can you hear me!?" there was a second of hesitation before the male voice returned.

"Who is this?" she breathed a sigh of relief, instantly speaking.

"My name is Anya Wood, I'm with Wander, but he got hit. His arm has got a bad infection in it." the voice cursed on the other end, just before he spoke.

"Alright, stay on the line, I'll go get Doc." She waited patiently, pacing around the room like a caged animal.

"Hello, are you still there Miss wood?" a very calm sounding feminine voice came out of the speaker now, Anya biting her lip.

"Alright, tell me what his symptoms are." She quickly thought back, running through them in her head before she spoke.

"Green tinged skin around the wound, swelling, fever, dizziness. I did my best to clean the wound out with alcohol, but I don't think it worked." There was silence for a minute before the voice spoke again.

"He needs anti-biotics. What medicine do you have access too?" she had already seen the medical cupboard ripped off the wall in the one bathroom in the home, and knew neither he nor her had any medicine left.

"None ma-am." The radio went silent for a few seconds before the male voice returned.

"Alright, you need to find some for him. Doc said it was urgent. Where are you?" she ran to the front window, using her binoculars to try to read the street sign, but the sign was coated in fresh snow.

"I think I'm somewhere near fifty seventh and I think balsam, I know there is a school nearby. Arvada elementary or something." There was the sound of arguing voices for a few seconds before the male began speaking again.

"ok, there used to be an emergency health clinic to the west of you, try there, it's maybe a mile, maybe two down fifty-seventh. Okay? Radio back when you get there." She nodded and started gathering her gear back up.

"Roxy, I need you to watch over Wander for me, okay?" the dog shot up and barked, earning her a pat on the head. "Good girl, I'll be back." She was just about to leave when she realized that it was too cold for her out there. She quickly grabbed his leather jacket and threw it on, the slipped through the door, fighting with the wind to close. The better cold outside was already chilling her nose and cheeks, and the foot of snow made it even harder to move, she sighed, buried her face as deep into her hood as she could, and trudged off into the snow.


	4. Stalker

**Hey there, sorry it's been awhile, shout out to Cybroid for the inspiration!**

* * *

 _Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over._

-Nicole Sobon

* * *

 _Wanderer, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, July 2027_

 _I sat at the cafeteria table in the small underground bunker, just staring at the tray of food before me._

 _"I'm worried about him dad." I barely glanced at the girl, already knowing it was the same girl from the night before. She was talking to the soldier who had been with her, his ever present German Shepard lying on his feet._

 _"Well, with what you saw him trying yesterday, I'm not surprised." I heard her sigh just before she continued._

 _"It's not just that. Look at him, it looks like he hasn't eaten properly in a year. He didn't sleep last night, hell, I'm fairly sure he was crying the whole time." I grunted before standing up, nearly falling over in the process._

 _"why don't you two just fuck off and let me leave this damned place." They both looked shocked, having only heard my voice once before. My own voice shocked me as well, being rough and raspy, and almost silent._

 _"Why don't you introduce yourself first. Capitan William Jacobs, U.S. Army Special forces. This is my daughter, Caylee." He held his hand out to me, but I just glared at him._

 _"And why the fuck should I? if you had done your damned job in the first place, this country wouldn't be a damned warzone! Now where is my shit so I can leave this dump." The girl took a step forward, clearly nervous about it._

 _"Look, we just want to help you. Get a few good meals in you, and a few good nights, then we'll let you leave, okay?" I turned my back on them as I stomped back to the table, dropping back in front of the tray. They were talking much softer now, but I had always had sharp hearing._

 _"Fine." I angrily rammed the fork into the spaghetti on my tray and forced some down my throat, barely tasting it. she came and sat across from me, holding out her hand._

 _"My name is Caylee, what's yours?" I glared at her and took another bite of the food._

 _"Wander." I made no move to accept her hand, about to stick the fork in the food again when she spoke again, her voice light and airy._

 _"Ya know, it aint polite to leave a lady hanging." I growled but roughly shook her hand, causing her to smile. No matter how badly I felt, something about her smile drew the faintest traces of one to my own lips._

* * *

 _West of Denver, December 2031_

I groaned as my eyes slowly opened, shivering even though I was buried under the blankets.

"A-Anya?" my voice was weak and pitiful as I looked around the room, trying to pierce the thick fog that seemed to have filled my brain. A cold wet nose nuzzled my cheek, drawing my attention to the German Shepard. I smiled weakly and shakily scratched behind her ear, earning my hand a cold wet lick. The air outside the blanket seemed dreadfully frigid.

"Roxy, where's Anya? The dog trotted over to the door, where snow had been blown in after someone had opened it. I sighed, glancing at my equipment piled in the corner, instantly noticing my jacket and radio gone. "Damn it, I shoulda never trusted that damned thief!" the dog whimpered at me, causing me to glare at it.

"What Roxy!" she pawed at the pile, digging Anya's sniper rifle out of it. I grunted and sat back down on the couch, wrapping myself as tightly in the blanket as I could. "Well, she coulda been stealing from me. Where the fuck did she go anyway?" the dog whimpered at me again, cocking its head to the side. I just sighed and got as comfortable as I could again, still freezing cold even though I had two blankets wrapped around me. "Wake me when she gets back Roxy." The dog barked once and I slowly drifted back into a fitfilled sleep.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper_

Anya trudged through the knee deep snow, unable to keep her body from shivering. She could see the emergency room ahead of her, only a block or so away. She audibly cursed as the melting snow soaked right through her clothing, including Wander's jacket. After several hard minutes of movement, she arrived at the clinic to find the front door locked, and the building still intact. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that meant it was likely the clinic still had supplies. She looked at the lock, half debating picking it. her shaking body changed her mind, aiming her rifle at the lock and firing a trio of rounds into it, one at a time. The lock was nothing more than bits and she forced the door open to slip inside. As soon as she was inside, she pulled the radio out and pressed the talk button in.

"Hello, can you hear me?" the same male voice from before answered her.

"Yes, miss Wood, are you at the clinic?" She nodded absently, not even realizing how stupid that was. Her feet carried her past the counter and into the back rooms.

"yes, I am." The female voice spoke this time.

"Okay, you are looking for a store room, tell me when you find it." she put the radio back into the pocket of the jacket, flicking the flashlight on her rifle on and slowly opening doors, one by one. Door after door opened into a patient room or an office, and panic started to rise in her throat. Finally, she found a store room, and she could clearly see that it was still stocked.

"Oh thank god." She instantly dropped her bag to the floor, searching the medicines. The first few she found she knew where pain killers, such as morphine, tylonol, and a few others. She stuffed them into her bag and found a mass of bandages, tunicates, and wraps beside them, she stuffed a whole bunch of those in along with a few needles from the top shelf into the bag. As soon as she was done with the basic meds, she pulled the radio back out. "Alright, I'm in the store room, what am I looking for?" there was a few seconds of static before anyone responded.

"Um, well, what do you have there?" she quickly shined light on some of the small bottles, reading off the names.

"Um, lidocaine, naloxone, epinephrine, mefoxin…" the voice over the radio suddenly cut her off.

"Grab the lidocaine, the epinephrine, and the mefoxin. The first one is a local anesthetic, the second is adrenaline, and the third is an anti-biotic. The first two just might come in handy." She quickly stuffed the several bottles of the three meds into her bag, just before slinging it on one shoulder and stepping out.

"Thanks. I'll call y…" a deafening crash cut her off, the front window being smashed in. she dropped the radio, flicking her rifle up, but not in time. The light only gave her a glimpse of something black with a white streak before she was slammed to the ground. Her rifle was ripped away from her, having not slung the strap back over her shoulder since leaving the store room. Whatever had attacked her, had her pinned to the ground, a set of cold metal claws on her shoulders to keep her in place. Light blossomed above her head, emanating from a pair of mini lightning bolts, arcing between nodes with a rapid crackling sound. The eerie blue light illuminated the panther like robot above her, making fear leap into her throat. The two stunners were jutting out from the 'jaw' line of the thing's head, its single infrared camera eye staring down on her. The entire thing was covered in steel plating, all painted a RADAR absorbent black paint, with its right front leg having a single, thick white stripe painted down it. Before it could bring the stunners down on her, she tucked her legs up to plant her feet on the thing, and heaved upward. She barely managed to shove the several hundred pound robot off of her, ripping out her pistol and firing at it before she had even stood up. The two rounds she had fired just pinged off its steel armor, the pistol having an almost laughable effect on it. It pounced at her again and she narrowly dodged to the side. It disappeared as the stunners shut off, leaving the room almost pitch black, save for the light coming from the rifle across from the lobby from her. She flicked the light on that was attached to her pistol, scanning for the robot, her hands trembling. Her light showed a shadow of the tailless robot on the wall, where no robot was visible. She instantly opened fire, the pinging sparks of her bullets knocking the optical camouflage offline. One of the mechs joints jammed as it tried to move, spalling from the shattering rounds jamming it. It flopped to the floor, giving Anya a chance. She ran to the wall behind it, grabbing the heavy shelf that was there and dropping it on the robot. It squirmed and writhed under the shelf, unable to unstick itself as Anya slid the empty pistol back in its holster. As soon as her fingers reached it, she scooped up the rifle, the radio, and the bag full of medicine and leapt through the shattered window, trying to run through the snow. She knew it was only a matter of time before the thing got free and cleared the jammed joint, trying to move as fast as she could.

"Miss Wood, are you still there?!" she barely heard the woman's voice coming out of the radio, nearly dropping the device as she struggled against the snow.

"Stalker attacked me! Talk later!" she slipped the radio away and kept trudging on, fighting with every step. Adrenaline and fear coursed through her body, to the point that she didn't even feel the cold anymore. She was near constantly looking behind her, trying to see if the Stalker was behind her. When she reached the house, she did one last check behind her before she pressed the lever in on the door to get inside.

* * *

 _Wanderer_

I shot awake as Roxy growled at the door. I forced my exhausted and frigid body off the sofa and dragged myself over to the gear pile, pulling my rifle out and aiming at the door, just in time to see it flung open, Anya diving in and slamming the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, she slumped to the floor, leaning up against it. Her breath was nothing more than ragged gasps, her eyes closed as her entire body visibly shook. She was wearing my jacket, my radio sticking out of one of the pockets, and a bag over her shoulder. I flicked the safety back on and pointed the rifle skyward, gaining her attention.

"You're awake?" she barely managed to speak her question between breaths.

"Yeah, you could say that. What happened to you, and where were you?" she slipped the bag off her shoulder, opening it to reveal the mass of medicine within.

"Got…. Attacked by… a Stalker." I swore, staggering to my feet.

"We need to move." Almost as soon as I stood, my legs gave way and I dropped to my knees. Anya scrambled to her feet and rushed over to me, keeping me from slumping over.

"You are in no condition to move. Come on, let's sit you down." She pried the weapon from my hand and sat me on the couch before grabbing the bag and rushing back to me. She pulled out my radio and was instantly talking. "How much of this stuff do I give him?" Doc's voice spilled out of the radio.

"Three grams now, preferably through an IV." She shrugged, filling a needle and plunging it into my skin. The medicine burned like hell, but at least the sensation woke me up a little.

"Anya, we need to move. Now. Before that Stalker finds us." She cursed, helping me pull my gear on, then wrapping me in a several blankets. She kept my jacket, slinging both my M1 and her Sniper rifle, leaving me with my hand gun and submachinegun. I pet Roxy's head just before we stepped out the door, struggling with the snow the second I was outside. The cold felt a thousand times worse than it should. I staggered nearly falling in the snow, but Anya caught me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder to help me stay standing.

"Just hang in there Wander." After several minutes of trudging, I hear Roxy yelp, causing my head to snap around. A Stalker had pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. It looked at us, a pop announcing the firing of a Taser from one of the stunners on it's jaw, another cartridge being loaded on the second stunner. The two nodes from the first shot dug into Anya's shoulder, instantly shocking her. We both dropped to the ground, Anya writing in pain. I grabbed her assault rifle from her, rolling onto my back and firing a pair of rounds at the things eye. The first round pinged off the armor, the second finding the eye. It exploded apart, the now blinded robot shaking it's head, causing the Taser cartridge connected to Anya to pop off. I staggered to my feet, running at the robot and slamming into it, knocking it off Roxy. As soon as it was off the dog, I rammed the barrel of the rifle in the ruined eye, flicked the weapon into full auto, and squeezed the trigger. Sparks and bits of metal blew out past the barrel until the mech stopped moving, completely disabled. My head spun, myself swaying on my feet for a second before I fell back into the snow, barely conscious. Anya was suddenly hovering over me, Roxy standing on my other side and whimpering. I felt her arms wrap under my arms and started dragging me across the snow. My eyes closed, and by the time I managed to open them again, we were inside a house again. I remained conscious long enough to see Anya slump over beside me, clearly exhausted.

* * *

 _Rocky Mountain Arsenal, August, 2027_

 _I sat on the floor, gently stroking the small puppy in my arms. It was the runt of the litter, it's mother having rejected it entirely, forcing me to hand feed her. The tiny puppy had just fallen asleep, leaving me sitting there holding it. The door opened behind me and I looked at the person who entered, one finger over my mouth. I instantly recognized it as Caylee and she quietly closed the door behind her before sitting next to me._

 _"How's the runt doing?" I smiled and showed her the puppy fast asleep in my arms. "Awww. She's cute." I smiled, stroking the puppy's soft fur again._

 _"Yes she is. I don't know if your dad told me or not, but I'm staying here. I want to be trained how to really fight." Caylee smiled and gave me a half hug, and I found myself not wanting her to let go, resting my head up against hers._

 _"That's amazing! When are you going to start training?" I shrugged, a smile still plastered to my face._

 _"He wants me to recover fully before I start. So he set me the task of taking care of little Roxy here until she's old enough to eat solid food." She grinned again, petting the puppy in my lap as she responded._

 _"I think that will do you a lot of good." I smiled at her feeling happy for the first time in a while, my eyes remaining riveted to the beautiful girl next to me. She looked up and saw that I was staring at her, causing both of us to blush furiously. "Wander, I'm glad you decided to stay. I know you've only been here for a few weeks, but I don't want you to leave." I smiled and freed one of my arms so I could wrap it around her shoulders, giving her a half hug._

 _"Thanks Caylee, that means a lot to me. And it's Damien to you." She leaned in against me and wrapped both of her arms around me, just before the puppy woke up, standing on my chest and licking both of our faces, causing us to split apart laughing._


	5. Wanderer's Tale

**And here is another chapter! for those reading this, might i recommend reading Star Wars: Shadow Hawk, a new story that i hope to get some progress on before i leave. also the last section of this is actually written by Cybroid, so anyway, enjoy and as always, please review!**

* * *

 _"Sometimes, it's best to let go of the past. And it's harder than it sounds."_

 _-Cybroid_

* * *

 _Wanderer, Houston Texas, April, 2025_

 _I slipped through past the guards at the entrance to the small plaza, managing to not be called out by the two soldiers standing there, or more importantly, the one in a wheel chair with them. I pulled my hood up tighter, glaring at that soldier, angry that he had survived the barrage of rounds I had fired at him. My eye's slipped away from him as I ducked through the crowd, looking for one specific red head. Her name was Lauren, and I had known her for many years. And for the past two years, we had been more than friends. When the KPA killed my family, she instantly stepped up to the challenge of helping take care of me, smuggling me scraps off their table and helping me dodge patrols, even smuggling me into her room to sleep on her bed. She was also fluent in Korean, and had been the one whom I learned of the soldier's survival from. I frowned, not finding her where she always met me. After a few minutes, the crowd was silenced, ending my ability to search anymore. The Colonel in charge of this area marched out on stage, his brilliant red beret and pristine armor showing off how stuck up the man was. When his voice rang out, amplified by the microphone in his ear, it was with perfect English._

 _"My friends! Today, I have a treat for you! Today, you get to witness Justice! Justice for the group of rebels responsible for the recent attacks against our great nation!" as he spoke, a pair of soldiers carrying M4 assault rifles marched a string of prisoners out onto the stage. All of them, I instantly recognized. First, was an adult, in his mid-forties, but in incredible shape. He was a firefighter, both before and after the takeover. Next, was his wife, a woman with vibrant red hair and very soft, slightly overweight features. She had been one of the cooks at the local food shelter, usually buying her own spices and ingredients to help give what she cooked more flavor and nutrition. Next in the line was a boy, only nineteen. He was just about to leave for college when the KPA had arrived, being forced into a labor camp producing munitions for the KPA. Finally, was the face I had been looking for, her vibrant red hair, mix color green and blue eyes, and almost eternally happy features being unmistakable to me._

 _"No, not her…" tears stung my eyes, unable to tear my gaze away from the platform._

 _"For the People!" the colonel had an evil grin on his face as he drew an M9 off his belt and walked up to Lauren's father, placing the weapon on his forehead and pulling the trigger, so casually that one could easily believe that he enjoyed it. "For the greater good!" a small laugh echoed out of him as he stepped forward again, placing the weapon on the side of the mother's head, where she had dragged herself to her husband's side. The pistol discharged again, spattering more blood across the stage. "For Order!" he didn't even step away from the two corpses to fire a round through the boy's head, blood spurting out the opposite side as the weapon went off, most of it spattering across Luaren. Lauren had fallen to her knees, sobbing, tears filling my own eyes as the Colonel walked up to her, placing the weapon on the back of her skull before speaking again. "For Justice!" he licked his lips greedily as he jammed the pistol into her head again before pulling the trigger. Life seemed to slow down as the weapon fired, her forehead literally bursting out, brain matter and blood sloshing out as she fell. Several members of the crowd puked as I slipped to my knees, sobbing._

 _"If anyone brings us knowledge of any more traitors, you will be justly rewarded with extra rations, and maybe a little gift from yours truly! For the Greater Korean Republic!" the crowd weakly echoed the shout, the penalty of not doing so being a burst of automatic fire into the crowd. I followed the flow of the people, barely noticing that I had left the plaza and crowd before I had reached the small shed I had been living out of. Inside were the two weapons I had brought from home, the handgun being virtually useless with only a single round in it. I sighed, slinging the rifle and bandolier before pocking the pistol. As soon as the sun set in the distance, I slipped out, only one thought on my mind. I had no reason to stay in Houston anymore._

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, West of Denver, December, 2031_

Anya stretched and moved to sit up, finding that the rifles slung over her shoulder sent a shot of pain through her when she tried. She quickly slid them off and sat up, checking her watch as she did so. She smiled, seeing it had only been an hour since she had dosed Wander. He was shivering in his sleep beside her, and sweating like mad at the same time. She touched his forehead, finding it cold to the touch. A curse slipped out of her mouth before she stood and searched the abandoned house for fresh blankets, the ones that had been wrapped around Will lost in the snow. As soon as she had buried him in them, she set about breaking down a few wooden chairs with the stock of her rifle to make a fire. The noise stirred Wander awake, his weak voice sending a small ping through her body.

"What are you doing Anya?" She looked up at him for a second, then continued working as she responded.

"Building you a fire. You're freezing." He didn't respond, causing her to glance up at him. He was digging her assault rifle out from under the blankets, sliding it over by where she had left the other two rifles. She shrugged and walked over to the small fireplace that was in the room, stacking the wood up and stuffing a few pieces of paper she had found underneath them. A quick match strike later, a small fire started up in the fireplace, bathing the area near it in warmth. She then turned to help him to the fire, only to find him already shambling over to the flames, the blankets draped over him like a cloak, his rifle loosely in his uninjured hand, her assault rifle loosely balanced in his other hand. He struggled to pass her the weapon, wrapping himself in the blankets as he sat down.

"Keep that loaded and on you. Stalkers hunt in groups, and they have steel armor. that six eight of yours is a better chance than a five five six, but not by much." As he spoke, he yanked the charging handle back on his rifle, his free hand catching the round it ejected. That same hand clicked a lever on the opposite side of the weapon, ejecting the whole clip. He set the weapon down after he did so, slipping the ejected round right into the clip before slipping it into his bandolier. His fingers slid open a small pouch on his belt, pulling out one of two clips of rounds for his rifle, loading it fast enough that she almost missed the fact that the tips were painted red.

"What are those?" she gestured at the rounds as he slapped the bolt forward, chambering the first round. She quickly followed suit, loading a fresh magazine into her rifle and stiffing away the empty.

"Armor piercing incendiary thirty-ought six. Best bet we got if another stalker comes around. If one does, aim for the eye. Most of it's processors are in the head, eye is the weakest spot." She nodded and sighed as he rested his rifle across his lap, holding his hands close to the fire for a few seconds. As she watched, the sweat seemed to start dissipating form his face, his face slowly changing from straight pale to a small amount of color. "Thank you Anya." His words startled her as he looked straight at her, almost sad in a way.

"It was nothing. You would have done the same for me." He nodded and fell silent, his dog snuggling up to him. After a few minutes, he laid down on the floor, wrapping himself in the blankets, facing the fire. His eyes were still open, watching the flames as the dog slipped up against his stomach, giving his face a single lick.

"Wander, where are you from?" he looked up at her for a second, seeming to debate.

"Houston Texas. You?" she sighed before she spoke, using a poker that had been left to poke at the fire.

"New York, New York. Was a city gal till this war started." He smirked, his attention returning to the fire.

"Suburbs for me. Any family? Other than your brother I mean." She smiled gently, a few memories from better times slipping into her mind

"Yeah. Sister in law and two nephews. Haven't seen them for about a year though. You?" his eyes closed and she could swear she could see a tear slip out.

"I need some sleep. Still exhausted." His eyes stayed closed, but as she watched, she saw another tear slip out, her heart shriveling up inside her chest as she watched him cry. After a few minutes the tears cut off, his breath coming in deep, even breaths. She sighed, adding more wood to the fire as she waited, checking the time every now and then. Occasionally, she would rub her aching shoulder blade, where she could still feel to distinct welts around the small scabs formed by the electrodes in the Taser. At two hours, she reached over and felt his fore head, shocked that it was actually fairly normal. She pulled the radio out of her pocket, turning the volume down before she whispered into it.

"Hey, it's been two hours, do I give him another dose?" after a few seconds, the female voice spoke again, softly echoing out of the radio.

"What's his condition?" she touched his forehead one more time, just to be sure.

"He was sweating like crazy a little while ago, but he's asleep now and, well, his temperature feels normal." The voice instantly came back, speaking as softly as Anya.

"Alright, give him another dose, just in case. If he stays relatively normal over the next couple hours, he should be fine. He needs lots of water and food, so that his body stays on top of things. Keep that bandage clean too." She pulled the assault pack over to her and opened it as she responded.

"Alright, thanks. I'll call again if anything changes." She quickly found the medicine and a fresh needle, as well as fresh dressings before gently shaking him awake. His eyes cracked open, red and irritated.

"Why are you waking me?" she gestured at the medicine before she spoke again, very calmly.

"Doc says another dose, and I'd rather get you awake for that, sorry. Besides, you need to eat something. He nodded and sat up, the dog perking up and watching as he stripped out of his gear, letting her gingerly pull his bandage off and clean the wound again before she injected him and put a fresh bandage on. He winced when the needle went in, but aside from that, he was fine. The wound also seemed better, less swollen and the last of the smell disappeared with the bandage. "How are you feeling?" she spoke as she stood and grabbed his assault pack, pulling a pair of the Meal's Ready to Eat they had been surviving off of out, setting her full canteen between them. As far as she knew, it was the last of the water they had.

"Better. Arm still hurts, but not as badly. Just exhausted. He spoke as he ripped the MRE open, grabbing out one of the pouches out and ripping it open without heating it. within a few minutes, they had both devoured the cold meal, Anya not even realizing how hungry she had been. Wander gently sipped on her canteen before he sealed it and set it between them, settling back in. "Take my rifle, keep watch. Good night. Or, whatever time it is." She smiled and reached over him to grab his rifle, setting in her lap as she watched him drift off into sleep.

* * *

 _Prisoner, Denver, December 2031_

The cell felt damp and cold against the man's bare hands. Not even his grey shirt and long plain white pants could stop the cold breeze flowing around the empty room through the small bars near the top of the cell door. There were no smells besides his own odor and his last meal. Unlike other days, he had been told to eat his meal in what some people would call 'one's final home'. These walls are usually the last a person would see when inside. Once inside, you already know your fate. There wasn't much light in the cell, rendering the occupant near blind. The only thing making him believe he was not was that he could still see the light seeping through the door window. He would have assumed he was deaf as well if he could not hear the faint whistling from the air rushing in through it. He was alerted by some indistinct orders outside, then the bolt on the outside moving after the key on the outside was turned. The metal door was pushed open, and revealed three armored men, each with white armor and one with a yellow beret.

"Good evening" the middle man greeted in fluent English. "Are you willing to speak now?" The cell's occupant said nothing, and looked away at the side wall. The middle man sighed despairingly, putting a hand to his face. "I hate to do this...but you bring it on yourself." With a quick flick of his other hand, the other two soldiers grabbed the prisoner and pulled him to his feet. He resisted, letting his feet slip out from underneath him. So they resorted to dragging him. He was dragged across the ground with his knees scraping across the cold cement. His auburn hair hung down over his green eyes. They took him through the halls, echoes of other prisoners being heard as they passed. The walk continued for a time until they reached a steel door guarded by another two soldiers. They stood at attention, with their weapons pushing against their chests in a type of salute. The yellow beret saluted with his right hand, his left behind his back in a palm. He spoke a command in Korean, and they nodded before moving back the way the others came. The yellow beret used a keycard to unlock the door, and pushed it open, then stepped inside with the prisoner and other two guards in tow. They sat him down on a small chair, one of them going back out the door, closing it behind him. Only the prisoner, the yellow beret and other soldier remained inside. In front of the prisoner was a metallic table, the yellow beret sitting across from it.

"Must we do this again?" the prisoner finally spoke, asking the question in a sarcastic fashion with a grin. The yellow beret put both hands to the table, interlocking his fingers.

"You must comply with our needs. You can help us by answering our questions. Now tell me, where are the resistance members?" The prisoner rolled his eyes, his arms crossed before him. Yellow beret's eyes hardened into a steeled glare. But he went on. "Who are they? Where is their headquarters? Where do your supplies come from?" He went on and on with his questions, and the prisoner soon blanked out. Though he didn't for long, as he felt a zap at his side. His hands flew to his hip as a grunt of pain escaped his mouth. "Listen to me! Give us the answers we are seeking! And you will be spared from more pain!"

"And become a traitor to those who deserve to be free...never" he hissed. Another contact tazer came to his side, but he held in any sounds this time. "You..won't..get anything!" he yelled, then spat in the yellow beret's face. At first, he was stunned. Then with a nod, the prisoner received a full powered tazer to his side, knocking him out cold.

"Return him to his cell. We shall begin again in two days time." The soldier nodded, and then picked the unconscious young man up from the chair, and proceeded to drag the prisoner out of the room.


	6. The Pack

**I'm back on this story! yup, proof that this story is not dead! hope yall enjoy and do review!**

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 _"Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes"_

 _-Unknown_

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Denver, December 2031_

Anya watched the fire as it continued to burn. As she watched, her stomach grumbled for the tenth time in the past fifteen minutes, it having been hours since they ate the cold MRE's. a sigh slipped out of her mouth, causing the dog's ears to twitch. Just after, the dog groggily raised it's head and watched her questioningly. Anya smiled and reached across Wander's still form to scratch the dog behind her ear, which caused the dog to have a very pleasured expression on her face. Anya giggled at the dog, unable to help her self. Suddenly the dog started growling. At first Anya thought it was at her, but the sound of something landing on the roof told her otherwise. Fear leapt into her throat as the sound of objects thumping onto the roof carried to her ears again and again. She waited until the thumps stopped before she gently shook Wander awake. She held a finger over her mouth as he awoke, Wander nodding to show he understood. He quickly stood, taking his rifle from her so she could retrieve her own weapons. After a few minutes, they had gathered up their gear, slipping up to the door. Anya was still wearing Wander's jacket, Wander carefully wrapping himself in blankets so he could still easily move. She nodded to him and he yanked the door open, the wind and snow blowing in as they rushed out into the street. Within minutes, they were both freezing, but Anya didn't even think about asking him to stop, knowing how important it was to get as far away as possible. The snow was now almost two feet deep in the street, snow piling up against the south face of any object. the snow was even clinging to them, turning them white and leeching warmth from their bodies.

Suddenly, Anya heard the dog growl, causing her to start looking around. After a minute or so, she felt Wander tap her shoulder pointing off ahead of them. Through the swirling snow, she could just barely make out the outline of a vehicle, only visible because someone was fruitlessly trying to unbury it. thw angular body, large machine gun mounted on top, and snow camouflaged paint job marked it as a KPA Humvee. She followed as Wander edged forward, moving closer and closer to the soldier trying to dig the vehicle out. As he moved, he slung the weapon over his shoulder, pulling a knife off his chest. He suddenly lunged forward, raking the knife across the Soldiers throat, just before ramming the knife into the center of his back, both silencing him and immobilizing him. The soldiers blood dyed the snow a brilliant crimson.

"Here's our way out of here. The fifty up there will tear those stalkers into ribbons, we just need to clear out this guy's buddies, and lure the Stalkers into a kill zone." He pointed toward a set of tracks headed for a nearby house, one of the windows emitting light through the snow. He signaled for her to stay put, moving close to the house. When he reached it, he pulled something out of one of his pouches, a quick kick to the window shattering it, allowing him to throw the object in. as soon as he had, he dropped back into the snow. She heard shouting in the house, just before an explosion blasted the window out. As soon as he grenade had gone off, Wander jumped to his feet, his sub-machinegun in hand. He easily leapt into the room, the dog right behind him. She heard a pair of gunshots before he staggered out, clutching his wounded arm. She rushed over to him, suddenly worried.

"Wander, are you okay?" he nodded, still clutching his arm.

"Yeah, just hit my arm on a garden nome or some shit like that." She couldn't help but chuckle as the two of them moved back to the half buried Humvee.

"Alright, we need to find a way to lure those things in." she smirked, one hand on her hip.

"Well, I'll play the bait. Give me your rifle, and I can bring them down the street, you gun them down." He smirked as he forced the Humvee's door open.

"Deal. Take Roxy with you, use her radio. I'll be in here." The dog whined at him and he handed Anya his rifle before crouch before the dog, smiling.

"It's okay girl, I'll be fine. Listen I need you to take care of Anya here. Can you do that for me girl?" he was speaking very softly and sweetly, and somehow, Anya got the feeling that the dog knew what he said. She licked his face once, whining faintly. "I'll be okay Roxy." The dog barked softly, what Anya had figured out meant yes. "good girl! Love ya roxy!" he gently kissed the top of her head before he climbed into the vehicle.

"Be careful, Anya. I want my dog back." She saw the slight smirk on his face, realizing that he was joking, but still sincere.

"Alright tough guy, you be careful too." He smirked, and was starting to retreat into the vehicle when he suddenly poked his head back out.

"Hey, is your leg alright?" she glanced down at the rough bandages on her leg, feeling a twang of pain as she shifted position.

"Hurts, but I'll survive. See ya in a bit." With that, she turned and trudged off through the snow, Wander's weapon in her hands.

* * *

 _Wanderer, Denver, December 2031_

I sat in the cold, cramped interior of the Humvee, fingering my handgun and knife as I waited for Anya to call me on the radio. The minutes dragged on as the already chilled Humvee became colder and colder, making me wish I was going to have to touch the likely freezing cold metal with my bare fingers. Memories from the prior minutes raced through my mind, almost confused by my own actions. I rarely ever showed how tight of a relationship I had with my dog, much less cared for anyone else around me. But I had suddenly cared for Anya, with no real reason to do so. _It's just because of her taking care of you while you couldn't fight, nothing more. Yoou just want to pay her back. No debts, no strings attached._ I tried to tell myself that again and again, but it never seemed to fit. I sighed, falling back into the seat, my mind drifting off to a different time, without my doing so.

* * *

 _Rocky Mountain Arsenal, April 2030_

 _Myself and Caylee sprinted over the hill over looking the hidden camp that I had learned to call home, freezing when it came into view. We had seen the smoke, the helicopter's, heard the explosions. But we never expected the carnage that was before us. The hanger, a large earth covered bunker, had been completely collapsed, bent and broken steel beams sticking out almost like the bones of a skeleton. Fires were blazing through the wreckage, occasionally causing ammo that had been stored within to explode, sounding more like pops than explosions through the sound of the inferno. The barracks was in similar condition, fire shooting out of the access to the underground area. Several bodies of the people we once called friends were scattered across the area, some intact, some not. Small craters filled the area, as well as a tank hull and a group of dead KPA. I could hear Caylee sobbing beside me as I scanned the area, looking for any signs of a survivor. That's when I heard a single bark, quiet compared to the sound of the inferno below, but was still loud enough to reach my ears. My eyes flicked to the entrance to the kennels, seeing smoke lazily drift out of there. For a second, I though I had imagined the bark, about to ask Caylee if she had heard it when another echoed out to us, galvanizing myself into action._

 _"Caylee, the kennels, now!" she nodded and we took off down the hill. Before we knew it, I had reached the entrance, trying to shield my eyes from and face from the smoke. I was still coughing almost uncontrollably though. I waited a second or so, realizing that I had only heard one bark out of ten or so of the frenzied barking that was echoing out to me now. Without waiting a second longer, both of us shot down the stairs, rushing past sevral raging fires as we ducked into the main kennels. Only three of the dozen or so dogs were alive, frantically clawing at the gates of their cages. Collapsed sections had killed most of the others, as well as the flames. The smell of roasting flesh filled the space, to a point that both of us gagged. The room felt like standing in a furnace. I ran up to one of the cages, grabbing the metal bolt holding the cage closed only for it to burn my hand on contact._

 _"Fuck!" I cursed as my hand pulsed with pain._

 _"Here, this should cool the cage." Caylee had pulled her canteen out and dumped it on the bolt, the water near instantly hissing away. I tentatively tapped the metal with an unburned finger. It was still warm, but I could handle it. I yanked the bolt back and the cage opened. The dog took off, disappearing out the exit faster than either of us could believe. I moved to the next cage, about to pull out my canteen to do the same when an almighty crack filled the air. The ceiling caved in above the dog kennel, burning the dog in rubble and dirt before I could react. A steel I-beam raked through the weakened concrete, landing across the third cage. But the dog inside was still alive. I stumbled back to my feet, reaching for my canteen to find it gone. I cursed and was looking around for something to tiry and pry the cage open only to see the name plate on the cage._ _ **Roxanna.**_ _I grabbed the steel bolt, feeling it burn my hands as I yanked the bolt free. But as I did so, there was another crack, another i-beam falling from the ceiling, rubble and debris falling across myself and Caylee. I heard her shriek, it chilling me to the bone. I tried to crawl to my feet, only to find my own foot stuck. I cursed, already calling out to her._

 _"Just hang on Caylee! I'm gonna get you out of here!" I heard a moan before she called back, her voice shaky and pained._

 _"N-no! jus-st go! Ge-et-t out o-of here!" I strained against my foot, even though it hurt, just trying to free it from the section of concrete covering it. suddenly, I saw a mass of brown and black fur dart over me, pressing up on the concrete. I sat up and tried to lift it as well, feeling my foot come free. I quickly yanked it out, dropping the concrete as I did so. The dog turned toward me, giving me a single wag before I pet her head._

 _"Good job Roxy, lets go save Caylee too!"_

* * *

 _Denver, December 2031_

I jerked back to reality as my radio crackled in my ear, gaining my attention.

"Wander! I'm coming back with those things on my ass!" I cursed, clicking the radio on with the pad over my left fore arm.

"Got it! bring those suckers to me!"

* * *

 _Lone Sniper_

Anya ran as hard and fast as she could through the deep snow. A loud metallic screech filled her ears and she spun, seeing a pair of the Stalkers behind her. she quickly aimed the heavy rifle in her hands at it and fired, the heavy armor piercing round tearing into it's chest cavity, but not causing any severe damage. It did however, stumble the metallic creature, giving her more time to run. The snow was finally letting up, giving her a decent sight distance, so as she rounded the corner of a house, she could easily see the Humvee ahead. _A few more meters, just a few more…_ her thought was left unfinished as she sprinted through the snow, ignoring the roaring pain in her thigh. Little did she know, being too focused on running to notice, she was leaving a trail of red blood behind her, seeping off of her leg. She heard a metallic shriek, but it was too late for her to turn, the mech leaping into her and both of them tumbling into the snow. The Stalker rolled off of her as they tumbled, giving her a chance to draw her pistol and fire a trio of rounds. All three found their marks, tearing through the thing's eye and disabling it entirely. Without a backwards glance, she kept sprinting toward the Humvee, seeing the top hatch suddenly fly open. Wander followed the hatch, grabbing the massive machinegun and racking it.

"Eat this you metallic mothe-" the rest of wht he was shouting was lost as the weapon fired, Anya's clue to hit the ground. The massive booming of the weapon seemed to fill every inch of her, able to feel the massive bullets tear past her. she rolled over and watched their effects on the robots, watching as their metal plating shattered and broke, limbs being blasted off, electronics sparking and bursting, all following the stream of red tracer rounds whipping overhead. She couldn't help but grin as she watched the mechs fall, one after another under the devastating volume of fire. The last of the metal death machines fell, the gunfire falling off. But only for a second as one of the creatures stired, only to be blasted with another burst of fire. Only now did she realize just how many of them had followed her, making her eyes widen. Almost a dozen and a half were scattered in pieces in the street.

"Anya! RUN!" she heard the shout and rolled over again to look at Wander in the Humvee, only to see a massive Stalker landing on the Humvee, ripping Wander clean from the turret and throwing him several feet away, snow bursting from around wear he landed. There was something on the shoulder of this stalker that it took a second for her to recognize, shilling her to the bone as it zeroed in on Wander. Just as the infantry machinegun started firing, Roxy landed on the back of the mech, knocking one of the mechs feet right off the Humvee, sending the rounds from the MG skyward. It bent it's neck around to try to see the dog on it's back, but to no avail, the dog already leaping down. As soon as she was clear, Anya opened fire with the rifle, firing the last three rounds at the mech's head, followed by the hollow ping of one of the metal clips ejecting she cursed, realizing that Wander still had the other clip. Her rounds all pinged helplessly off the bigger robot's armor, causing its attention to turn on her.

"Oh fuck me!" she scrambled to her feet as she shouted, headed for a house as the machine gun began firing again, furrows being ripped into the snow as the rounds ripped into it all around her. a burst of conflicting fire seemed to cut off the stream for a second, her head snapping over to see Wander back on his feet, firing his small sub fruitlessly at it. that's when she saw the second monstrosity, leaping from the side and slamming Wander to the snow. She screamed, losing all thought of self-concern as she sprinted at the mech. It's head turned toward her, just as she was getting with in feet of it, her pistol sliding out of it's holster in a one handed grip. She squeezed the trigger as fast as her finger let her, so close to the mech that there was no missing it's massive single eye. All of the small forty caliber rounds found their marks, tearing into the mech. Sparks burst out, a few shards hitting her arm, but she didn't care as the mech collapsed, falling off of Wander. She stopped at him, dropping his rifle into his lap as the mech on the Humvee stepped off, another massive Stalker up on the roof behind it. a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from them as they both fired, too late to hit them. By some miracle, none of the enemy rounds found their marks as they dived through a bay window, the house's exterior wall providing at least visible over from the murderous onslaught being unleashed outside.

"I guess this is balls to the wall time!" she raised an eyebrow at him as he quickly tapped a few keys on a thin screen on his wrist. When he spoke again, she had no doubt that it wasn't toward her.

"This is Damien Wander of the tenth special operations group, honorary, requesting immediate close fire support, I say again, to all Denver resistance cells, we need back up! Co-ordinates are being piped on this frequency. Broken Arrow, repeat, Broken Arrow!" they hunkered down together, huddled so close that they were almost one person as bullets ripped through the wood all around them. She heard his radio crackle to life, hearing every word since their ear's were pressed together.

"Wander, we got a flight on recon in your AO, moving on your targets now with a JDAM ready to deploy. Keep your head down soldier!" he glanced at her for a second before ripping her to her feet, running throught the house and out the back, sharply whistling into his radio as he did so. As they entered the back yard, the dog caught up to them, just as she heard the screech of a jet engine overhead. Her eyes found the source, a single angular fighter that seemed to just disappear into the air, just before she was rammed to the ground, an explosion deafening her.


	7. Tough Decision

**Hey readers! sorry that this is a short chapter, but i think it's a no less important chapter, for a lot of reasons. hope you enjoy, and please review!**

* * *

 _"It's the past. You cant change it, you can't really face it either. you just gotta live with it." –Me._

* * *

 _Wanderer, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, April 2030_

 _I scrambled across the debris, quickly finding Caylee. She was caught under a steel I-beam, and all I could see of her was her upper body. I quickly rushed over to her, grabbing one of her hands by instinct alone._

 _"Caylee?" her eyes opened and she looked up at me as I spoke, shakily trying to shove me away._

 _"Go. Pl-Please. Stay alive!" I shook my head, letting go of her hand and shoving up on the burning hot metal._

 _"Not with out you!" my already burned hands seared with pain as I tried to shove the I-beam off of her. it shifted , dropping further down and she started screaming. I cursed, stopping what I was doing to try and rethink how to get her out. My heart was pounding away in my chest, adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins like the fires that surrounded us. "I'm sorry Caylee, just hang in there!" she grabbed my thigh, causing me to look at her._

 _"Damien. S-stop. I-I c-can't feel m-my legs." I glanced at the I-Beam again before grabbing a section of rebar, jamming it under the hot metal._

 _"Just hang on, I'll get you out!" suddenly, something grabbed me by my belt, yanking me back just in time as more material came down, liquid spraying across Caylee. A second or so after the liquid made contact with the metal, it ignited, catching sections of Caylee on fire too. I quickly rushed back as she screamed in agony, getting a better view of how she was pinned as well. Her entire pelvic region was crushed under the steel. Tears stung my eyes as I realized the only thing I could do for her. I pulled my pistol out, loading the same round that had sat in the weapon for years, and aimed it at her skull. "I'm so sorry Caylee." Her eyes opened as she clearly fought back the urge to scream, the flames still eating away at her._

 _"P-please…" the one word seemed to command my body, it feeling as though I had just pointed the weapon at me and pulled the trigger. The weapon discharged, leaving a neat hole in the center of her forehead, ending the suffering she had been enduring. I hadn't even realized that I had run from the building, collapsing in the field outside as I sobbed. Most of my body ached like I had a giant body wide sunburn, my hands pulsing with pain. But none of it compared to the pain in my chest, knowing that the first person I killed was the person I loved. Tears fell down my face my hands instinctively covered my face, trying to suppress the sobbing. I felt something nuzzle my cheek, whining softly._

* * *

 _Denver, December 2031_

My eye's snapped open as something wet rubbed up against my cheek, the liquid left behind quickly freezing there. Roxy was poking my cheek with her nose, trying to wake me. I could barely hear her whining over the ringing filling my ears. I clumsily tried to raise my hand, finding it stuck under Anya's limp body. My heart leapt into my throat as I rolled toward her, pulling my hand out to gently shake her with.

"Anya?!" she didn't respond as I rolled her onto her back, shaking her a little more vigorously. "Anya! Please, wake up!" her head shifted slightly and I froze for a second, my voice not much more than a faint whisper when I spoke again. "Anya?" for a second I feared the worst, but a wave of relief washed over me her eyes fluttered open, groaning as she moved her hands to her head, pressing them up against her temples. I leaned away from her, sitting on my feet so she could sit up. "You alright Anya?" she shrugged, still holding her head.

"No. But I'll live. You?" I could barely hear her voice, raising a finger to her as I heard my radio in my ear.

"Wander, do you copy, over?!" I groaned as I forced myself to stand, looking out into where the street had been. It was nothing but a crater, dirt from the blast coating the snow around it brown. The house we had been hiding in was partially blown apart, letting me clearly see the street.

"Tell that pilot he had good effect on target. I say again, target destroyed. Over." I heard a sigh over the radio before I heard a response.

"Roger that. Our recon plane was downed trying to bug out. Pilot didn't make it. you have dozens of KPA signals headed your way. I advise you relocate." I nodded and grabbed my weapon off the ground.

"Roger that. Will send more traffic when in touch with that cell, Wander out." I quickly loaded the rifle before speaking to anya. "Anya, we got to…. Oh shit." I noticed that her leg was severely bleeding again, from the same spot she had been clipped at the wall. I cursed and pulled a fresh bandage out of her pack, quickly cutting the old one off. My hand slapped the gauze of the fresh bandage onto the wound before tightly wrapping it around her leg again, helping her to her feet. She stood for a second there, but the second she put weight on the injury, she cried out in pain, and would've slumped over if I had not caught her.

"I cant walk. It hurts too much." I nodded, slinging her arm over my shoulder before I started moving back to the street.

"Roxy, lead us out." The dog barked once in response, taking the lead as I supported anya. She still had a tight grip on my rifle, my free hand instinctively drawing my handgun from it's holster. Half carrying someone through the snow was incredibly hard, even though she was smaller than me. I couldn't imagine what it was like for her, having to support me earlier. I trudged on through the snow, having to hide more times than I cared to admit as KPA soldiers rushed toward the JDAM site. The dog growled again, marking another patrol, but this one was different, as I could faintly hear the sound of an engine. I quickly carried Anya off the street, hiding her in a house as I spoke to her.

"Anya, stay here. I'm going to get us a ride." She nodded as I toke my rifle back from her, loading it. my feet carried me out the door, setting the rifle in the snow, on my feet. "Roxy, lure." The dog barked once and took off through the snow. After a minute or so out of my sight, she came pelting back, barking her head off, disappearing into a house near me. A HMMV rolled onto the street, my hands snaking up into the air, in the universal position of surrender. The vehicle rolled up to within a few meters of me, it's mounted fifty cal aimed straight at me.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper_

Anya watched in terror as Wander let the armored vehicle roll right up to him, his hands high above his head. She started to panic, grabbing her assault rifle out only to be nuzzled by Roxy's nose. The dog looked at her and wagged happily, placing a paw on her weapon.

"Dog, I gotta stop him, he's being an idiot!" the dog just put her other paw on anya, looking at th window she had been watching through. Anya looked through it as well, realizing that the crew of the Humvee were all exposed, bringing a smile to her face. The dog suddenly shot out of the door, leapin onto the vehicle and biting the gunner's arm. The seconds distraction was all Wander needed. He kicked his foot up, launching the rifle resting on his foot into the air, easily catching it and firing, three shots, as fast as the weapon could cycle the rounds. The three soldiers on the ground dropped as the dog yanked the gunner out, pinning him as Wander walked up to him, aimed the weapon at his head and fired. When he was done, he rushed back to the house, seeing her at the window and chuckling.

"were you worried or something?" she glared at him as he helped her back to her feet.

"Oh shut up, you were freaking out pretty badly earlier." He turned bright red as he supported her to the vehicle, helping her sit in the passenger seat.

"pfft, only cause Roxy woulda never let me hear the end of it if you had died." Speaking of the dog, Roxy leapt up into the Humvee, sitting on Anya's lap. "See? My point exactly!" she glared at him, about to speak when the dog licked her face, aiming for her slightly open mouth.

"Hey! Cant you sit somewhere else!?" almost as if in answer, Wander slammed the door shut, walking around the back of the vehicle to close every door before he dropped into the driver's seat, closing the door behind him. With in seconds, he had the vehicle moving through the thick snow, much faster than they had been moving. She watched him as he undid the clasp on his chin strap, taking his helmet off and setting it between them. It was one of the few times in the past week or so that she had seen him with his helmet off, making her unconsciously smile. He had fairly well cut short brown hair, and was always messy when he took his helmet off. The look surprisingly fit him very well. Her eyes drifted to his exposed fingers, realizing that they were heavily scarred, almost as if they had been burned at some point. "Wander, how'd you burn your hands? He glanced at them and sighed.

"In a fire." She glared at him, wanting to smack him.

"I kinda figured that part out myself. Why were you in the fire?" he remained silent and she sighed, staring off out the window.

"The tenth special forces group." She glanced at him, utterly confused. "They don't exist anymore, not in Colorado at least. They set up a base out of a group of bunkers in the rocky mountain arsenal. KPA used thermite rockets in their initial attack, flame throwers in the second wave, then tried to level the place with firebombs. I got back to find the base on fire, and in ruins. We could barely hear the dogs barking down in the kennels. We rushed down in and I tried to yank the cages open." he stopped for a second, pulling one of his gloves off with his teeth. His entire hand looked almost like a giant callus, not one bit of unscathed skin. "I think you can see how that ended. Anyway, I freed two of the dogs before the ceiling collapsed, pinning myself and my friend. Roxy here helped me free. My friend…. She… she didn't make it." she saw a tear slip out of his eye, him shaking himself away from the memories, focusing on the road before them.

"I'm sorry Wander…. That's horrible." He shrugged, clearly trying to put on a brave face, more for himself than anything else.

"It's the past. You cant change it, you can't really face it either. you just gotta live with it. and it's Damien to you." She smiled to him, not realizing how much it meant that he was telling her that.

"Okay Damien. Well, what are you thinking on how to get into Denver?" he tapped the dash of the Humvee, smiling.

"KPA use advanced IFF systems on their vehicles. If we can get to the gate soon enough, their auto turrets wont target us, they'd risk massive friendly fire incidents. And the gates are wired into an emergency system, and will open automatically if we play the distress signal on approach." She smiled evilly, seeing the simple brilliance of his new plan.

"So what about the soldiers?" now his grin became much darker, almost evil in a way.

"You want to man the fifty, or do you want to drive?" the thought of what those powerful rounds would do to a person made her want to gag, making up her mind in an instant.

"Drive, please." He nodded before he pulled off the road, shutting the engine off.

"Alright, let's take a better look at that leg, then move out. Got it?" she nodded, waiting patiently for him to open the door for her. instead of having her get out, he simply had her swing her legs out the side of the Humvee. He gently pulled the already soaked bandage off the injury, a shaft of pain ripping up from it. she winced as he ginger shifted her leg so he could better see the injury.

"It's bad, isn't it?" he sighed, confirming her suspicion.

"Looks like the bullet hit offset on your thigh, left a nice neat hole through and through. Running from the Stalkers must have ripped the between the hole and your skin, so now it's like you have a massive gash. So yeah, it's pretty bad, but it could be worse." He dropped his pack and pulled a small white packet from it. he was just about to tear it open when he stopped speaking to her.

"Um, this stuff is going to burn like hell. Sorry." He ripped the packet open before she could respond, dumping the white powder on her leg. It burned like hell itself was just poured on her wound. She shrieked from the pain, grabbing one of his wrists. The burning sensation started to go away and Wander was already rewrapping her injury. "Sorry." She waved it off, seeing that the bandage wasn't being slowly tinged red anymore.

"It's alright. Sorry about trying to squeeze your hand off." Her smirked as he finished securing the wrap, standing up and stretching.

"I don't blame you, quick stop hurts, but it works. Id definitely rather it to bleeding out." She nodded in agreement, the two of them just sitting there facing each other.

"Wand… I mean, Damien, do you trust me." He looked her straight into her eyes, responding almost instantly.

"Yes. I do. You ready for this." She nodded before accepting his hand up, hobbling over to the drivers seat, settling in. Roxy lightly leapt into the passenger's seat as Wander climbed into the back, closing the dog's door before he did so. She took a deep breath, settling her nerves a little. She felt his hand grip her shoulder, causing her to look back at him, seeing the smile on his face.

"We'll pull this off. And we will save your brother. I promise." She nodded, watching him for a second as he put his glove and helmet back on before she gently pressed the accelerator pedal, easing them back toward the road.


	8. Break Through

**Hi guys! got more up for you, hope you enjoy that is all!**

* * *

 _"There are two kinds of secrets. The ones we keep from others and the ones we keep from ourselves." -Frank Warren_

* * *

 _Wanderer, West Gate, Denver Containment Wall, December 2031_

I took a deep breath, trying to settle my nerves a little. It had been a long time since I had felt fear's touch, not even sure why I was scared. One quick pull unlocked the turret hatch as I shifted to underneath it.

"Anya, hit the signal, and do not stop driving. Clear?" she nodded, the dog slipping off the passenger seat and into the foot space for the passenger. I stayed crouched in the raised section for the gunner, waiting patiently for the KPA to notice us. Suddenly, shouts could be heard, the first rifle shot just pinging off the armor. I smirked, that being my que, ramming the hatch open and grabbing the already cocked weapon system. I depressed the butterfly trigger, the weapon thundering out, it's rounds taking chunks off the enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, their shots were simply ricocheting off the armor built around the turret housing. I targeted any soldier with a rocket launch as we shot through the gate, followed by those running for the mounted weapons, and finally, any soldier on an elevated position. All though the MG's vertical axis was unlocked, the horizontal was not, having jammed turret ring to the unlocked position so I could turn the entire housing toward a target, rather than just swiveling the turret in it's mount. The powerful rounds ripped through their thin barricades and cover pieces they had set up, only ever been designed to stop small arms fire. Anya suddenly swerved the Humvee down a side street, causing me to slam my back into the housing. "Hey, watch it! warn me when you turn anya!"

"Well, hang on better than! Sorry!" I rolled my eyes, swiveling the turret to the rear as another Humvee rolled after us. I instantly opened fire, aiming for their front tires, followed by their turret to quickly cripple their vehicle. I quickly spun the turret around, just as Anya swerved around another corner. In front of us was the wreck of a bus, too close for us to stop in time. I braced the best I could, feeling my helmet slam into the handles of the turret, and barely staying conscious as I slumped into the motionless vehicle. Anya wasn't moving, slumped up against the steering wheel. The dog crawled out from under the dash, seeming unharmed by the crash. I clumsily grabbed my rifle and fell into the door, causing it to fall open. Pain shot through my shoulder as I hit the concrete, my feet still inside the Humvee. I tugged them out, barely managing to stumble to my feet. I wretched Anya's door open, grabbing her and pulling her out, falling over in the process. She fell onto me as I hit the ground again, not hurting anywhere near as bad as before. I quickly pulled her rifles out of the back, slinging them before I tried to drag her away, stumbling and falling several times before I got her into the nearby alleyway. I slumped to the ground, shakily drawing my handgun to try and aim back down the alleyway. My vision swam slightly as I tried to steady my arm. A pair of figures whipped around the corner, my finger almost squeezing the trigger as I noticed the lack of helmets and body armor. One was wearing a mesh vest covered in pouches, an M4 in his hands. The other was female, a Glock model hand gun in her hands. My vision quickly blurred out as my arm dropped, the handgun clattering to the concrete. I was out cold before they could reach me.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Denver Resistance Head Quarters_

Anya groaned as she started to feel her body again. Her head was throbbing, her hand instinctively reaching up to her head. He fingers felt cloth and her eye's snapped open, seeing a plain textured ceiling above her. she was lying in a comfortable bed, the only one in the small room. She quickly looked around, seeing her weapons and gear stacked in a corner, along with her clothes, neatly folded on a small dresser. She was wearing fresh clean jeans, not torn or damaged, although they were a little large for her, and a T-shirt. She groaned, feeling pain in her leg, the feeling of cloth swathing her leg as she slipped her bare feet off the bed. She couldn't help but smile as her toes felt the soft carpet beneath her feet. Her body ached pretty much everywhere as she forced herself to her feet, moving to the door, stopping as she cracked the door open to hear voices on the other side.

"Wander, we can't just divert forces to find someone that is more than likely dead! There is no point to it! besides, I thought you worked alone?" curious, she slipped out of the door, easily making next to no noise on the carpet.

"If her brother is even half the fighter she is, you want him around. It would be worth your while to find him. And I do work alone. She helped me when I got hit, I owe her. as soon as we find her brother, I'm done with her. so please, help me speed that the fuck up." She felt her heart sink slightly at his words, looking around the hallway to guess where the speakers were. There were four other doors, one on her right, one straight across and two a short way down the hall, right across from her. she could see what looked like another room past those two rooms, the ceiling of that room being higher than the halls. She gingerly moved that way, the unknown voice speaking.

"Fine. But if this bites me in the ass, you are paying for it." she reached the end of the hall, finding herself on a short staircase down to what would normally be a living room that had been converted into a command center, a table in the center covered with maps and a corkboard hanging on the wall straight across from her filled with written reports, some with pictures with them. Wander and a man she didn't recognize were standing across the table from each other, both looking like they were about to stab each other. Wander was wearing his combat cargo pants and a brown t-shirt. He had his pistol and equipment belt still firmly attached to his side, but his clothes were clean now. his arm was also still swathed in bandages. The man he was speaking to was wearing a thin combat vest over a hoody, jeans with knee pads, and there was a skull cap in front of him. His arms were crossed as he glared across the table at Wander, his dark short hair and dark eyes clashing with his light colored skin.

"My brother is still alive. And trust me, saving him is worth it." the man glanced up, his expression softening. He was surprisingly young for a resistance leader.

"Ah, Miss Wood, you're awake. Didn't expect to see those eyes open so soon." She gingerly walked down the stairs, limping every time she put weight on her injured leg. She walked right between Wander and the table, not even looking at him.

"How long was I out?" she tried to sound unafflicted, but miserably failed as the throbbing from her head seemed to be intensifying.

"only about half a day. Doc's surprised nothing was broken in that crash." She glanced at Wander, seeing a flicker of concern flash through his eyes. "You should probably go back to bed, get some rest. You're pretty banged up Anya." She glared at him, looking over the bandage on his arm and the small cuts that accompanied it.

"Speak for yourself Wander. You look like you took a jump through a meat grinder." He waved it off as she noticed that something was missing. "Wait, where's your dog?" he jerked his thumb at the back door of the home, barely visible behind the other man in the room, through a kitchen.

"Out back, playing with the kids. I don't know why she likes kids so much with how much she hates people." Anya grunted, starting to think that he had made up the dog hating people simply as a reason to shove people away.

"So what makes you think your brother is even still alive?" she sighed, idly messing with one of the protractors left on the table.

"He wasn't captured very long ago, and he was a leader of a resistance cell. They like to pump leaders for information." She quivered at the thought of what they could be doing to him. "So he is very likely to still be alive. They moved him here because the general is supposed to be one of the best interrogators in the entire Greater Korean Republic." The man's eyes dropped, staring at the floor.

"Alright, you've made you're point. I'll have some people start digging. Maybe they'll find something, maybe they won't. I'll tell you two as soon as they do. Go get some rest, both of you. You need it." Anya nodded, turning to head back to the room she was sleeping in. her entire body felt exhausted. Wander was just ahead of her, his slim build seeming thinner than it should, like he had gone a long time without proper nourishment at some point in his life. She groaned as she went up the stairs behind him, a sharp spike in her leg nearly causing her to fall. She felt Wander's hand on her shoulder, helping her keep her balance. She glared at him and he pulled his hand away, moving off down the hall. She slowly hobbled after him, noticing that he went into the room straight across from her. As soon as she was back in her room, she laid down on the bed, hoping to get some sleep. It quickly seemed obvious to her that sleep simply was not going to happen, about to sit up when the door flew open, a gorgeous brown and black German Shepard charging into the room at full speed, catapulting onto her bed. She shrieked a little as the dog landed, more out of surprise than anything else. Before she got a chance to restrain the dog, her face was being licked over and over again, the dog wagging the whole time.

"Roxy, come on, stop it!" the dog finally quit, just standing there and staring expectantly at Anya. She sighed, doing her best to wipe slobber of her face before she gently scratched behind the dogs ear, an extremely pleasured expression on her face. After a few seconds, she flopped over, her back up against Anya's uninjured leg, still thoroughly enjoying the scratching. A pair of kids suddenly rushed into the room, one looking about eleven, the other, a girl, looking about eight or nine. Both had shocked expressions on their faces.

"She normally doesn't like adults, other than Wander." The taller kid spoke as Anya beckoned him into the room. He was wearing a red puffy jacket and jeans, a small fleece cap in his hand. His dark hair was a mess of mid length locks going any direction you could think of.

"hmm, I just have a thing for animals I guess." She had barely realized that the dog had fallen asleep next to her as the two kids walked up to the bed. The girl had very light green eyes and blonde hair, filled with curls. Most of that hair was covered in a knitted hat, her body still swathed in a jacket that was clearly too big for her. "So you two know Roxy?" they nodded, gently petting the sleeping dog.

"The dog soldiers used to come here a lot, bring us food, and dad says they help them keep us safe." The little girl was talking now, her voice very quiet.

"If they came here a lot, why was Wander having to look for a way past the wall? If you kids know." The boy spoke up nearly instantly.

"Tunnel bots. They're these robots that dig through the ground and blow up at a tunnel they find, collapsing it. There used to be a tunnel under the wall, but not anymore. I've only seen Wander here once before anyway. But Roxy has been here several times, with the dog soldiers. She always tries to play with us." Anya smiled, not noticing the dog's eye's open for a second, as if the dog was peeking to make sure she was still there. A new voice startled her, causing her to look up at the door to her room.

"Thought I heard Roxy going romping through the house. She didn't land on any of your injuries did she?" Anya recognized the dark skinned female's voice, smiling at her.

"No, I'm fine. Roxy is just cuddling." The woman chuckled, moving a few steps into the room, only for the dog to shoot onto her feet, growling straight at the woman.

"Whoa, Roxy, I'm just here to check on your friend." The dog didn't seem to listen until Wander's voice suddenly lashed out.

"Roxy! Bad girl!" the dog's ears instantly dropped, slinking off the bed, past everyone in the room, and to Wander's side, not looking at anyone. "Sorry Doctor Johnson. You know how Roxanna is." The woman smiled to him, clearly unfazed by the dog's hostile reaction to her.

"I know, why don't you two kids see if you cant get Roxy to go play with you?" Roxy looked up at Wander, waging her tail, ears still low.

"Only if you behave Roxy. You get me?" the dog barked, jumping excitedly in a circle. "Alright, go, play to your hearts content you silly thing! Shesh, that dog has more energy than a hamster on coffee." Anya couldn't help but smirk at Wander's comment, the doctor finally stepping closer.

"Good to finally meet you miss Wood. Keja Johnson, Doctor, cook, and occasional vet." She held her hand out to Anya, Anya instantly accepting it.

"Likewise. Thanks for the help earlier. I think you saved both of our lives." The Doctor shrugged, pulling a small wicker chair out of the corner and setting it by her bed. Anya quickly glanced at the doorway, noticing Wander sitting cross legged on the floor with a towel in front of him, disassembling his rifle and cleaning it. his hand gun was still right beside him, on the floor, with his sub-machinegun leaning on the wall. As she watched for a second he glanced up at her, seeming like he was paying more attention to her than the weapon in front of him.

"No Problem, now let me take a look at your head." Anya nodded, holding still as the bandage was unwrapped from her head. She felt the woman's soft hands shift her head back and forth, clearly inspecting a gash in her hairline. "Well your stitches are holding, so that's a good sign. I don't think you need the bandages on anymore." The doctor stood, closing the door before she continued "Now let's look at your leg." She pulled Anya's loose jeans down, quickly unwrapping the injury. It was also sewn up, but it looked almost like it had been burned. She remembered the quick stop as she saw the burn like formations around the gash like wound, the Doctor smiling as she looked over her handiwork, quickly rewrapping her leg.

"Well, everything seems to be holding together, so that's good news." She helped Anya pull the pants back up as she spoke, a question framing on Anya's mind.

"Doctor, what do you know about Wander?" she sighed, leaning back in the chair.

"I know very little about him. Just what Dan would tell us. They found him a few years ago, just wandering the arsenal. Dan's daughter, Caylee, was the one to find him. Apparently, he was about to kill himself." Anya glanced at the door to the hall, her mind thinking back to the way he acted from the moment she met him to now. and it didn't surprise her that he had tried to kill himself at one point. "As it was, he was in terrible condition. Probably hadn't eaten properly in about a year, maybe two. All he had was that old rifle he carries, some tattered clothing, and that handgun he carries. That's when I first heard of him. They asked for my help on how to care for him. Anyway, after about a week or so, one of their dogs gave birth, and little Roxy was well, shunned by her mother. Dan had Wander care for her as a puppy, and I guess that's why the two of them have such a tight bond. Anyway, I didn't meet him until a year or so ago. He came by, telling us that the whole arsenal hideout was gone. Leveled. He was the only survivor. Anyway, we told him a spot we knew of that they stored supplies, outside the city walls. He left to retrieve them and the tunnel was destroyed, so he couldn't come back. I still cant imagine how much pain he was in that day."

"Because of losing everyone he knew?" she nodded, glancing out of the window before continuing.

"Yeah. And he was pretty badly hurt too. His hands were severely burned, crudely bandaged in ripped cloth, his foot was dislocated, and he had first degree burns across most of his body. I cared for him before he left, but he insisted on getting those supplies. He's been completely alone, nothing but himself and the dog for over a year now." Anya sat up the bed, her entire body protesting.

"So you don't know anything about him from before he met those special forces guys?" she shrugged, clearly unsure how to answer.

"Just that he was born in Houston. And rumors from that area. The general in charge was absolutely brutal, executions almost on a daily basis. Lethal house raids, random gunfire into crowds. Just brutal stuff. The fact that he managed to make it up here is…. Impressive." Anya nodded, having heard of KPA commanders that were as brutal as what she was saying. One of those had met a fitting end, a one shot headshot during one of his executions from nearly a kilometer away, made by none other than herself. The doctor stood and moved for the door, smiling as she spoke.

"I'll be cooking dinner shortly, I'll bring you some when it's done, okay?" Anya smiled and nodded, a faint grumble echoing up from her stomach. She glanced over at Wander's room, noticing that he was gone, the weapons and towel missing as well. She sighed, slipping under the soft fuzzy blanket on her bed, drifting off to sleep before she had even realized it.


	9. Confliction

**BOOM! another chapter! alright, despite the boom, this is not a very explosive chapter of any sort. very calm though. i hope you all enjoy and do, as always, use that awesome power of review.**

 **PS, yes, i made this chapter entirely one perspective. yes, strange, i know**

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 _"Lips and tongues lie. But actions never do. No matter what words are spoken, actions betray the truth of everyone's heart." -Sherrilyn Kenyon_

* * *

 _Wanderer, Denver, December 2031_

I rolled my shoulders as I slipped through the streets, dodging several KPA patrols as I made my way toward an old amusement park that had become the KPA's internment camp. I had only heard stories of it and was relying solely on a map to reach there. My mind drifted as I continued my self-prescribed recon mission, thinking of Anya almost the whole time. I knew she was safe, and in good care at the homestead, as the local cell called their HQ, but even so, I found myself worried about her.

"I wonder if she would even want to still work together after we find her brother?" My voice rang out of it's own accord as I cut through a department store, dropping into a cushy chair left in the abandoned building. I sighed, tracing the seams of the chair as a wild debate seemed to rage through my head. On one hand, I had learned to survive on my own, trusting myself and Roxy, nothing more. And it worked extremely well, given I had never been injured until after Anya had come along. But, at the same time, I would have never made it through the wall on my own, her help being invaluable in that regard. She also risked her life to help me after I was hurt, caring for my injuries and helping keep us from being discovered. Even after that, she seemed to make Roxy happier, which surprisingly was not a common thing. The dog seemed as negative as I was at times. And above that, she seemed to actually trust me, something that was beyond rare, not to any surprise to me. Sticking to yourself tended to cause most to not trust you. Especially when you travel with a dog that hate's most people on sight.

I sighed as the debate continued to rage on in my head, more and more reasons starting to crop up as to why I should see if she wanted to stick together, and it seemed that none were coming up to say not to stick together, or at least, none saying to not try. Suddenly, I felt a cold wet nose up against my hand, startling me from my thoughts. I smiled and scratched Roxy behind the ear after she licked my hand, noticing that someone had attempted to strap her armor on, and obviously failing at it.

"Rox, who the hell put your gear on gal? it's not even done right!" I cursed to myself as I began to start fixing it, hooking the Velcro up properly as well as the many clips and straps. Suddenly, i heard someone approaching, looking up to see Anya just as she was stepping around a corner, limping with every step.

"There you are Roxy! Why'd you… oh." Her voice dropped off as she noticed me, Roxy practically wagging her tail off as she looked at Anya.

"Why the hell are you here!?" she shrugged, limping her way over to us and sitting on the hard floor beside the dog, gently stroking her exposed neck.

"you kinda just disappeared on us. Roxy was starting to freak out a little. Kept clawing at the door and trying to sneak out of the house. I couldn't get her to calm down." I grunted, glancing up and down her outfit. She had slipped back into her clothing, an old heavy weight jacket on over her hoodie. Her sniper rifle was sitting on the floor beside her, still all wrapped up. Her assault rifle on the other hand, seemed to be nowhere to be seen.

"Sounds like Roxy. You feeling okay?" I felt my voice soften for her as the dog rolled over, moaning with pleasure as Anya rubbed the animals stomach.

"No. I hurt, a lot. But a little pain wont stop me. Never has before, and I wont let it now." I smirked, reaching down and giving Roxy a quick scratch behind her ear as well. "Wander, did you mean what you said, about not wanting to work together after we find my brother?" I shrugged, speaking quietly.

"Why do you ask?" she shrugged as well, still loving on the dog.

"Well, everyone could use a little help now and then, and we seem to be making a good team for the time being, so why not keep the streak going?" I sighed, looking down at my hands. _Everyone I let get close dies. I can't let anyone else become another casualty._

"No." I spoke as that thought crossed my mind. Her shoulder's slumped slightly, standing up from where she was.

"Okay Dam- I'm sorry, Wander." She stood and was limping her way away when the dog at my feet sprung up, looking up at me as she whined.

"I know Roxy, I don't want to be alone anymore either. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt." I spoke very quietly into the dog's ear, so that there was no chance for Anya to hear. Suddenly, the dog perked up, looking around, a growl slipping out of her throat. I shot to my feet, grabbing my rifle from where it was leaning on the chair and quickly catching up to Anya. She was turning to speak when she saw me holding a finger up to my mouth, causing her to nod. We heard one of the store's doors get flung open, a group of Korean soldiers voices echoing to us. I patted Roxy, signaling her to lead us out. The dog slipped away as I gently grabbed Anya's wrist, tugging her along after me. I heard her groan from pain and decided to just pick her up, carrying her almost like a child, one arm behind her shoulders, the other in the crook of her knee. The dog lead us on a criss cross pattern across the store until we reached one of the many doors, myself setting Anya down to slowly and carefully open the door, just enough to let us slip into the snow covered city. I barely even realized that I had grabbed her again, leading her several blocks away into an apartment complex, slipping inside. A teenager was inside, staring wide eyed at us, his hand on the nob to one of the apartments.

"Um, Wander?" I felt her raise her arm, showing me that I was holding her hand, as if we were a couple. I instantly let go, glancing at the kid and shooing him into what I guessed was his home.

"Sorry Anya…I didn't mean to..." I stumbled to a stop as I spoke, completely unsure as to what to say. She simply smiled, about to speak as the child spoke.

"Um, are you two resistance fighters?" I nodded and he glanced behind him, his long hair swaying slightly as he did so.

"In here, quick!" I nodded, slipping through the door and bringing my rifle up, sweeping the entire room with it as I did so. In doing so, I inadvertently aimed the weapon at the small family that was sitting around the table, all of them staring at me in shock. As soon as I saw them, I lowered the weapon, flicking the safety on.

"Roxy, Alert!" the dog barked once, having slipped in with me. Anya was a little slower, stumbling as she entered. "Anya, you okay?" she nodded, grimacing as she clutched her leg.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just hurts." I slung her arm over my shoulder and moved her toward the couch, sitting her down. The family still hadn't said a thing, just staring at us in what I would say was fear. Finally, the father spoke, staring at the teen.

"Who are they Noah?" he shrugged, glancing at us.

"I don't know. They were in the hall and well, I guessed they need a place to lay low for a bit." The father instantly shot to his feet, furiously pointing at a door I assumed lead to the rest of the apartment.

"Go to your room, take your sister too! And you two, get the hell away from my family!" I nodded, slowly reaching to help Anya back to her feet when the mother spoke.

"Garret, his friend is clearly hurt, we cant just throw them to the street!?" Garret instantly shot back, still pointing at the door.

"So what!? The KPA are probably right behind these two, and I don't want to put our family in danger!" I cut in, already helping Anya back to her feet.

"It's fine, we'll go. You all stay safe." I tried to sound as polite as I could, headed for the door. The woman's voice stopped me, almost like a cannon shot went off.

"Garrett! These are people! There was a time when we did everything we could to help anyone! You two, stay put!" I started to turn the nob as Anya squeezed my arm, pointing at the dog. She was growling faintly at the door, causing me to curse.

"Drop the noise, now!" although my voice was quiet, they could hear the danger in it, myself dragging Anya through the small living area and into the door the two kids had been standing by, setting Anya in the hall along with my rifle. Within seconds, I was back into the room, sub out and leveled at the door, hiding next to it so that if somebody opened the door, they wouldn't see me, nor hit me with the inward swinging door should they kick it in. I clicked the safety off as I heard the Korean voices go laughing through the hallway, every muscle in my body tense as I heard the voices grow closer, then slowly fade away, a breath of relief sliding out.

"If the KPA knew you two were here, they would have opened the door. I guess you two can stay for a little while. I'm sorry I yelled at you." I glanced at the very light skinned, red headed man, grunting as I slipped the weapon back away under my jacket. The room fell silent, no one speaking as I moved back to the hall, where I had left Anya. She was leaned up against the wall, right next to my rifle. She had a pained expression on her face, clutching her leg. I crouched, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, shocking both myself and her.

"I'm fine Wander. Just need to rest my leg." I nodded, unsure what to say to her. I was mentally kicking myself for not telling her why I didn't want her to stick around, but was too scared that she would use the why as a way to get me to let her stick around.

"Are you two hungry? We don't have much but we can spare some for you." I looked up at the dark haired woman. She was slightly plump, looking scarily like my own mother. My stomach grumbled at the mentioning of food, loud enough to answer for us.

"That would be wonderful ma-am. And I apologize for barging in. KPA patrol nearly found us, but Roxy here made sure they didn't. we just barely slipped away unnoticed." The woman smiled as I helped Anya up, sitting her at the table before hunting down another chair for myself. There was a small stool by the kitchen counter that I grabbed, setting it next to Anya. The group remained awkwardly silent as the woman dished out small portions of meatloaf and chunks of bread to each of the people at the table, giving myself and Anya much larger portions than the others. I quickly swapped plate's with the teen beside me, splitting his smaller chunk of meatloaf in half and giving one half to Roxy. The woman seemed have to shrug my actions off, myself not noticing Anya do the same with the young girl. The group ate the surprisingly flavorful meal in silence, the two kids heading off to bed after their plates were cleaned, the teen shaking my hand and quietly thanking me. Once the door to the hall closed, the father finally spoke, sitting back down in his chair.

"so where have you two come from?" I barely glanced at him, focusing on the dog at my feet, gently rubbing behind her ears.

"I'm from New York. He's from Texas, and the dog is I believe from here in Colorado, right?" I absently nodded, still just loving on the dog, trying to take as little of a part in the conversation as I could.

"That is a long and dangerous distance to travel these days. Why travel so far?" the mother was speaking now, Anya shrugging.

"I'm looking for my brother. Wander here, well, you'd have to ask him." I felt everyone else's eyes on me, clearly expecting me to speak.

"I have my reasons." I barely spoke, still loving on the dog. The couple seemed to accept that, but Anya clearly couldn't.

"And those were?" I glared at her, getting no reaction from her what so ever. She simply smiled expectantly at me. I sighed, looking back down at Roxy, who whimpered at me, placing a paw on my knee. It was almost as if she was saying go on.

"My family was killed. I have nothing left down there, so I moved on. No more to be said on the matter." The others solemnly nodded, myself feeling sick from the feeling of pity that seemed to fill the room. I didn't notice the tear slipping down my check until I felt a finger gently wipe it away, looking up to see Anya rest her hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay tough guy." I nodded, my focus drifting back down to the dog, only to be brought right back to the conversation.

"So how long have you two been together?" the woman was speaking, and I instantly responded, not letting Anya speak, even though she was opening her mouth to do so.

"We aren't dating. We've….. fighting together forms bonds that surpass those that can normally be formed." Anya spoke up before I could continue.

"And we've been through a fair bit for how short of a time we've known each other. Stalkers, Humvees, injuries, airstirkes." The mother nodded, smiling. Suddenly, the man stood and pulled a radio out, turning it on and tuning it in, myself glancing at my watch and realizing what time it was. A familiar voice suddenly overrode the Korean's standard broadcast of uniformity, conformity, and service to country.

"To all out there listening tonight, this is the voice of Freedom. Some hope comes to us from Denver today, where a pair of courageous fighters managed to break through the perimeter wall late yesterday, entering the city itself. The KPA and their Wall's are not impenetrable. All we must do is stand together, and we will win this! Knock us down a thousand times, and we stand up again one thousand and one times, and we will win! These aggressor must be cast from our homes, or we will never have a future of our own again! To those who have picked up weapons, keep fighting! This is the Voice of Freedom, signing off!" I smirked, having never actually heard a direct mentioning of myself in a Voice of Freedom broadcast. The Voice of Freedom was set up somewhere in the mountains, using a set of relays to broadcast their take over signal across most of Colorado, sending out news whenever he acquired it. I glanced up at Anya, noticing a similar smile on her face.

"Well, it's pretty late. Do you two want to spend the night here? We cant really offer more than the couch but it's reasonably safe." the male was the one speaking, myself instantly stuttering out,

"Uh, I don't mean to sound rude, or ungrateful, but we shouldn't. it just puts you all at risk." He waved it off, smiling.

"They never come by past curfew. You'll be fine here. Please, don't risk yourselves anymore tonight. For her sake if nothing else." He gestured toward Anya, a small slipping out of me.

"Alright. Thank you." He waved it off, following his wife toward the bedrooms. I quickly helped Anya onto the couch, headed back into the hallway to retrieve my rifle when the women stepped through, balancing the loaded weapon on top of a stack of blankets and pillows. I quickly took the weapon, shocked when she whispered into my ear.

"Protect that gal there. You wont find many like her, I can tell you that." I glanced at anya, not responding as I watched the dog snuggle up to her, earning a gentle stroking. I slung my weapon and toke the blankets from the woman, walking back to the couch and handing one of the two pillows to Anya. As she got the pillow into a position she liked, I unfolded one of the blankets, draping it over her and the dog when she finished. I was about to step away when she gently grabbed my hand.

"Damien, thank you for helping me get this far. And for promising to help save my brother." I shrugged, pulling my hand out of hers as I spun on the spot, sitting up against the couch.

"Don't worry about it. consider it payback for the arm." I heard her sigh as I took my helmet off, followed by my jacket and vest. Small pings of pain echoed from my arm every time weight was put on it. before long, I felt myself drift off to sleep, the blanket forgotten by my feet, my head resting on Anya's shoulder.


	10. Guilty Conscience

**And here is another chapter, and now we begin to explore Anya's recent past, and things she's managed to hide until now. hope you all enjoy and do drop reviews!**

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 _"Guilt is a useless feeling. It's never enough to make you change direction-only enough to make you useless."–Daniel Nayeri_

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Pittsburg Pennsylvania, October 2031_

 _Anya smiled as she slipped the freshly cleaned bolt back into her sniper rifle, having found a passion for maintaining the old Russian weapon. Her smile remained as she twisted the weapon back and forth in her hand, watching as the high gloss finish of the deep red wood glinted in the light, her fingers running over the name painstakingly burned into the stock. A sigh escaped her, knowing that she would likely never know what the name meant, having simply found the rifle a few weeks before. She had been proven as very effective with it, stopping an execution from almost a kilometer away within hours of finding it and the small amount of ammo for it that had been in the abandoned home. She had since scrounged up an old bandolier they had in storage, discovering that they had hundreds of rounds for the weapon, having been unable to find a weapon that used them. She quickly wrapped the weapon in it's rough cloth shroud, having done so primarily to hide the sheen of it's finish. Once done, she slung the weapon, double checking that her handgun was loaded. It had been her only weapon, given to her by her brother. It wasn't as big and bulky as the forty-five he used, but it was very comfortable to her to wield, having had trouble with the size of the larger handguns, but hating the lack of power in the smaller nine millimeters. So she had found it's balance between the two to be perfect for her. she glanced around her small room, with it's single bed and soft carpeted floors. She sighed, knowing it was the last time she would be in the room. They had to move, the KPA being ruthless and resourceful, making permanent bases too easy to find, and too dangerous to use. Her feet carried her to the door, her fingers gently grasping the lever and turning it down. Since this war had begun, she had known nothing but instability, unsure of where her next meal would come from, where she would next lay her head down to sleep. And even finally being able to fight was of no real comfort to her. Whether she could voice it or not, what she wanted above all else was a home to call her own. A place she knew she could always return to, no matter what happened. Her feet carried her through the door, the landing outside looking down on the entryway below. She had on a light weight grey hoodie, the logo on it so faded that it wasn't even recognizable. Her tight jeans were ripped in several places, the black combat boots she had grown used to wearing clashing with their faded color. She startled as a voice behind her made her jump and smile at the same time._

 _"Hey Anya. Are ya ready to go?" she smiled to the blonde headed girl behind her. She was slightly shorter and thicker built than Anya, a complex bow loosely hanging in her hand, a quiver on her hip filled with arrows. She also had an M9 on her other hip, nothing more than a backup weapon. She had an old camouflaged jacket on, way too big to fit her, having been one of her father's old hunting jackets. Her hair was cut fairly short, matching fairly well with her more rounded face. She was usually the one who hunted down food for them, using skills she had learned from her father to hunt food, and people alike, scavenging food from KPA patrols as well as animals she killed. She was also insanely skilled at picking locks and sneaking around, having stolen more things from the KPA than anyone in the group, usually without any bloodshed. Anya had learned the basics of lock picking over the years from her as their friendship grew._

 _"Of course Liz. We don't have much left to move anyway." Anya smiled to her, following her down the stairs. The rest of their small group was downstairs, waiting in what used to be the home's dining room. There were eight of them all told, Liz's father, James Warrington, and an old marine buddy of his, Brandon Lovett, who had become a cop. Both were in their forties, but acted like young and reckless teenage males. Then there was her older brother, Wyatt. Although he was far from the most experienced in the group, he was their unofficial leader, along with a current Staff Sergeant with the army, Jose Molina. He had only joined them a few months prior, not saying much about his unit that had been wiped out just before he joined. Then there was Dale, a former trucker who was a severe alcoholic, having lost his family to the KPA. The last member of their little group was one the Anya instantly slipped up to, wrapping her arms around one of his. He was only a year older than her, and they had been friends since before the war broke out, while she was in middle school._

 _"Hey there beautiful. Sleep well?" Her smiled broadened at his whispered words, sharing a quick kiss. He had longer than average hair, falling just past his ears. He wore tactical vest Brandon had brought, an M4A1 slung over his shoulder with a small red dot sight._

 _"Of course Cameron. Sorry I over slept guys. She was speaking to the group at large, earning a roll of the eye's from her brother, who was speaking as he placed a sheet of paper on the table._

 _"Well sis, you remember that execution you stopped a couple weeks back?" she nodded, sliding the paper closer to her as the other's watched, listening intensely._

 _"Well, that just got posted across the city." She quickly read the flyer, seeing that it was demanding any information on the assassination of a General Zhao. She smirked, realizing that she was the assassin they were speaking of._

 _"Sweet. I always wanted to be on the news." Wyatt sighed, bringing a small frown to Anya's face. She had always been very reckless and wild, going to parties almost every weekend before the EMP, and trying to run off with freshmen guys. After the EMP and the invasion, she continued to do reckless things, stealing from the KPA and trashing most anything she could reach, dropping live grenades into vehicles left unattended, firing fireworks off during celebrations, usually at the KPA in the area, spray painting anything in reach. Even after Wyatt brought her into this little resistance group, along with her two friends and her friends father, she was still doing all sorts of things on her own._

 _"You realize that this here is why we are having to move again, right?" she shrugged, almost not caring._

 _"So, you want to hit them with a crippling blow, I did. So what if it got us a little heat, they lost a general. Besides, they have no clue who did it, how could they? I shot the guy from nearly a thousand yards." He sighed, about to speak when Molina spoke up, an eyebrow raised. He had been a member of a special forces team, wearing a very light weight tactical vest with almost no sides, covered in pouches. Although beat up, his splotchy brown and tan camouflage matched the thin cover on his helmet, his helmet being a special light weight helmet with built in electronic ear protection, almost like head phones. there was a flash light connected to the side of the helmet, and he had the two earpieces folded up and back, looking somewhat dorky. his dark skin matched the camouflage to a degree. He had a special rifle in his hands, an M468 with an EO-tech holographic sight. Ammo had been a little tricky for him to find for the weapon, but he was insanely skilled with it._

 _"I'm with Anya on this one. That one shot may have done more good for our cause that any of our operations up until this point. It lets the KPA know we really are a threat." Anya felt an argument starting to start up as Brandon spoke, his own M4A1 in his hands. His had an ACOG scope on it, as well as a thick under mounted grenade launcher. He had stolen the weapon from a KPA soldier, who had likely been given it from old U.S. Army stock piles._

 _"You know the KPA are going to crack down on the people for this. It may have set us back more than it helped us." Dale's usually quiet voice spoke up next, his tactical shotgun leaning on the table. He also had a massive revolver in a brown leather holster on his chest, hidden under his heavy leather jacket._

 _"And anger is one hell of a motivator. Every family they damage will add people to the fight." Brandon's voice ripped out, almost like a shotgun blast._

 _"no, that's unacceptable. We cant just let them hurt innocent people, much less count on it!" Wyatt's mouth opened to speak when a crack ripped through the house, as well as shattering glass._

* * *

 _Downtown Apartments, Denver, December 2031_

Anya's eye's snapped awake, sighing as memories swept through her mind. She tried to not think about what happen just a couple months ago. She closed her eye's again, trying to focus on current events and shove those memories away again, but she couldn't help it. another sigh slipped out as she moved to sit up, knocking Wander's head off her shoulder as she did so. He startled awake and she was instantly responding.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He shrugged, standing up and stretching. She quickly sat up, moving to brush the traces of tears away from her face before he could notice. She realized she was too late when he crouched in front of her.

"you're crying?" he sounded both utterly confused and concerned, Anya still fighting off tears.

"I… I'm just worried about my brother! I can't lose him too! I…." her voice stopped with a torrent of tears, her voice bring every memory she was trying to suppress out, and the tears that accompanied them. She no longer tried to hold back the sobbing. She covered her face as she sobbed the recently awoken dog trying to nuzzle her cheek and lick the tears away. she was startled when Wander wrapped his arms around her, not realizing how startled he was at his own actions. She threw her arms around him, still sobbing into his shoulder as he spoke very softly.

"We'll find him Anya. Really, you won't lose him." She squeezed him a little tighter, still sobbing into his shoulder, and having no want to let him go. "Shh. Anya, it's gonna be okay." She couldn't stop her tears, if anything, seeming to be crying more at his attempts to comfort her.

"You don't understand! All of this, everyone being dead, it's all my fault! Damn it! why!? Why did I take that shot." She felt him push her away, just enough to look her in the eye, still gently holding her sides. She could see a single tear on his panicked face. She could tell that he was utterly confused, his voice quiet as he spoke.

"Anya….. what are you talking about?" she shook her head, trying to stand up only to find her leg being unwilling to support her weight. She fell back onto the couch still sobbing. She recovered her face, feeling the couch shift, not understanding why until she felt his arms pull her into his chest, herself remaining there as she continued to sob into her hands. After a while, her tears fell to nothing more than the occasional sniff, her arms crossed over her chest as she remained pressed up against him, his warm body acting as a comfort. She hadn't even realized that the dog had moved over to her other side, resting her head on Anya's curled knees. She found herself drifting off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 _Wander_

I stared at Anya's sleeping form, her body still pressed up against mine. I was still utterly confused, unable to figure out what had caused the sudden crying session. Or figure out why I had acted as I had, still holding her as I was. A small sigh escaped my lips as I gently slipped out from under her, managing to not wake her. it took me longer than I hoped to find a piece of paper and a pen, quickly ripping it in half. The first I quickly scribbled a note about keeping an eye on Anya, the second I froze before I started writing before deciding on what to place on it. I quickly scribbled out a message, just before stuffing the note into one of her hands. It took me several minutes to don my gear, making a split second decision to leave my M1, replacing both it's bandolier and it with Anya's rifle and bandolier, leaving my helmet behind as well, knowing how much of a pain it was at times to aim down the sights with a helmet on. I gave the woman one last concerned look before I stepped through the door, Roxy hot on my heels. It took me several hours to cross deeper into the city, seeing a tall white tower amongst other structures of the theme park I was looking for. I slowed to a stop as I reached a highway, seeing a bridge I could use to get across, one that was guarded by several sentry turrets. I scanned the large white tower ahead of me, seeing the KPA snipers patrolling the tower, none of them seeming to be paying any attention to the ground. I smirked, watching the sentry turrets for awhile, learning their patterns. It was easy to slip past the eerie blue lights, now on a hill over looking the park. Most of the area was converted into a shanty town, a once beautiful pond and waterpark emptied to make room for makeshift homes. I scanned the area with the scoped rifle, seeing the walls constructed around the whole area, as well as the guards roving them, the closest section being only a few dozen meters away.

"What the hell am I doing?! There's no chance he's down there, and those people wont know shit!" I sighed at the questioned I whispered to myself, my focus returning to the massive sky scrapers of downtown. Most of them were dark, with only a handful of windows lit on some of the towers. I pulled my radio out from the cargo pocket I had stashed it in, speaking quickly.

"This is Wander of the tenth special forces group to command, requesting intel, over?" the radio crackled at me, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"This is command, what do you need?" I sighed, my eye's scanning the camp again.

"I made it into Denver, and I need targets. And I need information on a prisoner. Last name of wood, got transferred to Denver recently." There was a few seconds of silence before the male voice came back.

"Roger that. What's this about a prisoner?" I sighed, glancing at the time on the pad over my wrist.

"Honestly, favor for a friend. He may have some intel as well, who knows. But I intend to find him. I cant break a promise out here." I instinctively moved back to my feet, starting the long trek back toward the apartments I had just left.

"Solid copy Wander, stay in touch, we'll find what we can. Out." I slipped the radio away, my feet carrying me through the deserted streets.

* * *

General Kai stared out of the window of the large penthouse in one of the many skyscrapers of downtown Denver, watching the city slowly light up as the soon rose out over the plains to the east. The golden light illuminated the snow capped mountains in the west, a small smile splaying across his face.

 _This country has some beautiful landscapes._ He had quickly found that he loved living in this section of the GKR, even though it was filled with violent rebellions and constant threats. Of course, that there may be why he loved it so much, being able to ply his skills as an 'interrogator' and use whatever means he deemed fit. He stepped away from the window, fingering the vanilla folder on his desk and smiling. It didn't take him long to return to the holding cell at the base of the building. Most of the lower floors had been converted into a high security prison, the cells in the basement becoming the solitary confinement cells, with a single interrogation room beyond that. He went straight for the interrogation room, ignoring the line of cells on either side. He had already ordered the prisoner in question moved back to that room to be 'prepared' for him, smiling as he stepped through the door. The prisoner in question was sitting in a steel chair, handcuffed to it, and was covered in bruises, several of which had already split from being hit over and over, making his features hard to recognize. There was only one other person in the room, a lowly Korean Army Sergeant, who had a collapsible baton in his hand.

 _"That is enough for now Sergeant. I would like to speak with our guest."_ He spoke in his native tongue to the sergeant, returning the non-commissioned officer's salute. Kai ignored his response as he slid the metal table to in front of the prisoner, pulling up a chair for himself as well before he slapped the file in his hands down in front of him. He looked at the blank folder for a second before he glanced up at Kai, a smirk on his swollen features, half hidden by his unkempt auburn colored hair.

"What, want me to do your taxes now?" the General smirked as well, simply opening the folder and tapping the surveillance image with in. it was of a woman with dark reddish brown hair, being dragged by her hand by a soldier with a leather jacket over his armor, inside of a department store. There was also a dog in the distorted image, the camera that had taken it being in very poor condition. The smile faded as what little of the man's face could show started to go pale with fear. Kai smiled triumphantly, knowing he had found a weakness in the man's defense.

"Mr. Wood. It is in your best interest to tell us what we want to know, or a certain sister of yours will meet an untimely end." His head dropped low, remaining silent. Kai sighed, closing the folder up.

"And so you leave me no choice. Oh how I loathe to harm those innocent in this war you have started. Things would be so much more peaceful without scum like yourself around. _Sergeant, take him back to his cell. Let him stew for a while."_ General Kai easily and smoothly switched between Korean and English, having studied both since he was very young. As the sergeant detached the man's cuffs from the chair, the man spoke very quietly.

"You wont get her. you may kill me, you may kill a few more people in this city, but I can promise you this, you will not kill her before she kills you. I can promise you that." Kai raised an eyebrow at him, faintly smiling.

"I do believe you are not in a position to make such assessments, Mr. Wood. Do have a nice day now." he waved the soldier off with the prisoner, the sergeant whipping the baton back out and slamming it into the back of the man's knees to get him to move, hitting him until he left the room.


	11. The Oni

**so this chapter's qoute, i know there is a real quote along the lines of it, but i cant think of it exactly right now, or who said it. if you know it, tell me. anyway, hope you all enjoy this, and i really wish more people read this.**

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 _It isn't the calm, calculated soldier you should be afraid of. He can be predicted, countered. The insane, desperate one is the real threat, for you can never truly know what he might do. -Unknown_

 _Lone Sniper, Pittsburg, October 2031_

 _Anya jumped as a crack filled the small room, glass from the window splintering into the room. Anya near instantly dropped to the floor, the whole group doing the same as more cracks ripped through the room, more glass and chunks of wood following the bullets now tearing through the home. She could hear some one screaming over the sound of gunfire. Suddenly, the gunfire ceased, whoever had been screaming now groaning in agony._

 _"who's hit?" Molina's voice rang out in the sudden echoing silence._

 _"it's Wyatt. Shoulder, clean through." Brandon was speaking now, Anya unable to stop shaking. She slowly started to try to look over her body, looking for any sign of blood. She had a strange tingle-ly feeling on her shoulder. Her hand slipped up to it, coming away red and wet._

 _"G-guys!" she felt hands on her shoulder that weren't her own, Cameron speaking._

 _"you're fine, it's just a graze!" she nodded, still shaking. Suddenly, there was a deafening boom, the main door blasting apart. Anya's head was spinning as an armored trooper rushed in, only for a long black shaft to rip into his throat. He staggered around in the doorway, his advanced bullpup clattering to the floor as he clawed at the arrow. The next soldier trying to rush into the room got stopped up trying to shove the dying comrade out of the way, causing a fatal mistake for the entire breach team. Both Brandon and dale alternating their firing, booming shotgun blasts mixing with short bursts of automatic fire. Several soldiers corpses stacked up on each other, soldiers no longer able to navigate the door due to their dying brethren._

 _"Move! Go for the tunnel!" She scrabbled across the floor, heading for the door to the garage. Liz was ahead of her, already on her feet and wrenching the door open. Anya was right behind her, the other's trickling through behind them. Wyatt was being supported by Liz's father, looking like he was half conscious. His entire right arm and shoulder was covered in blood._

 _"Wyatt!" he glanced up at her, a faint smirk on his face._

 _"Just get in the tunnel Anya, I'm right behind you!" Anya nodded, unslinging her sniper rifle and dropping it into the fifteen foot shaft they had dug through the concrete, right into Cameron's waiting arms. Everyone else was already down there as she started to slide onto the ladder. There was an indescribable metal on metal screech, the reinforced garage door having what looked like a katana rammed into it. she watched as it raked down the metal, making a long gash that a pair of metallic hands forced apart. A strange metal humanoid thing stepped through the hole it had made, a single red glowing eye in the center of it's face. The rest of it's body was covered in black steel plating. On it's back was a black katana like weapon, much thicker and heavier than an actual katana. It pulled the weapon off it's back, slamming the flat edge against both Wyatt and James. They hit the concrete floor, both twitching as if they had been electrocuted. James stumbled to his feet, raising the scoped lever action and fired. The heavy forty yacht seventy round pinged off the chest of the mech, barely rocking the chest back as it walked towards them. He managed to fire off two more shots, feverishly working the lever on the weapon. Once the mech was closer, it swung the katana at him, him raising the hunting rifle to block the swing. But the steel and wood was no match for the powerful swing of the mech, the sword hacking through the gun and into his chest. Anya shrieked as she went for her pistol, only to be dragged down the ladder and into the tunnel. She struggled and squirmed, trying to break free as someone dragged her back, right past several explosives._

 _()_

 _Denver, December 2031_

Anya's eyes opened, almost sealed shut by the crusty remains of tears. She moved her hand to wipe the remains away, startled when she realized that she was holding a piece of paper. Confused, she groggily unwrinkled it, looking at the hastily written words on the ripped half sheet.

 _Anya, don't go anywhere without me. Just doing some recon, will be back soon. Don't do anything stupid, I can handle myself, just stay there, please._

She smiled a little as she read the messy words, able to tell just how confused and hesitant he had been in writing it. she set the note down, wiping the crusty substance off her eyes, her eyes instinctively finding her gear. She almost instantly saw that her rifle was missing, about to panic when she realized that his rifle an helmet were still there, guessing that he was borrowing the weapon for it's scope. The window's were still dark, but faint traces of grey showed that morning was on it's way. Pain shot through her leg as she staggered to her feet. She winced, grinding her teeth as she swayed for a second, the searing pain throughout her thigh threatening to topple her. she managed to regain her balance and took a step toward the gear, barely managing to crouch at it. after a few minutes, she had managed to strap on her equipment belt and holster, scooping up Wander's weapon to check if it was loaded. She cursed as she accidently ejected a round, holding the bolt back as she slipped it back in the chamber. The bolt nearly caught her finger as she gently shoved the rounds in the magazine as she let the bolt forward, trying to prevent a type of jam known as double feeding. Once the bolt was locked in place, she checked the safety, only knowing where it was by watching Wander. It was locked to the rear, causing her to set the weapon down, satisfied. As soon as she was done, she rolled onto her rear, leaning up against the couch to wait. With out thinking, she picked up Wanders helmet, smiling slightly as she recognized the design. It was almost the same as the helmet one of her old friends wore, down to the camo patterned cover and flashlight mounted on the side. It even had the same electronic ear protection mounted on it, but something about his seemed different. Cables ran from the earpro to a blocky box on the back of the helmet, a similar cable running along the side of the helmet to a set of ballistic eye protection that was built into the front. There was a port on the bottom of the box that something connected into. She stared at the set up, completely confused until the door opening drew her attention, nearly reaching for the rifle until she realized that it was just the mother stepping out of the hallway.

"Oh, good morning." She smiled warmly as she stepped toward the small kitchen, Anya unable to not return it. "Where's your friend?" she shrugged, not actually knowing where he had gone.

"He's out. Said he had something to do." She smiled, stopping as she past the table, picking up a torn piece of paper.

"Oh, that's sweet of him." Anya gave her a puzzled expression, the woman continuing to speak on her own. "He left a note asking for me to keep an eye on you. Said he was worried about you. He should be back shortly, by the time estimate he gave." Anya nodded, about to speak as a crack ripped through the house, blood spattering across one of the walls as the window shattered. Anya watched in horror as the woman slumped to the floor, her eyes blank and emotionless. There were screams as more gunshots ripped through the house, Anya readying Wanders rifle. As soon as the shots ceased, she leapt to her feet, rushing into the hall way to find the father slumped up against the wall, already dead. She ignored the pain in her leg as she slammed into the door of what she guessed was the kids room, falling onto her side as the door collapsed. She froze where she was, recognizing the metallic humanoid standing in the room, a rifle in one hand, the girl in the other. It's red eye highlighted. The older boy was lying on the floor, half cover in bloody blankets, anya forcing herself to look away from the corpse as she snapped the weapon up and fired, still lying on her side. The weapon bucked painfully against her shoulder in the awkward position she was in, her first round shattering on it's steel plating. It casually tossed the screaming child aside, advancing on her while dropping the rifle, it's now freed hand reaching for the blade on it's back. Anya continued to fire, the heavy rounds doing nothing more than rock the chassis and scuff the paint. The rifle pinged, ejecting the clip. She panicked, reaching for her sidearm. The hulking machine stopped for a second, just about to reach her when an armored form barreled through the smashed window. It didn't get the chance to turn around as Wander rammed the Mosin up into the back of its head and fired. Sparks and bits of electronics blew back over the weapon, it's single red eye flickering out before it slumped over, slamming to the ground with a crunch. Her entire body quivered as he dropped her rifle in her lap.

"on your feet. There's gotta be a dozen of those things out there. They are out of ammo, so this is our chance to run." She nodded, stumbling to her feet as he scooped his rifle up, the dog trotting over to the crying girl in the corner. She was about to limp over to her as Wander suddenly stopped her, unclipping the bandolier and slipping her own back on her. "I'm sorry, I owe you five rounds." She smirked, stepping past him and helping the kid up.

"Come on, we gotta go. Your parents…. They… they didn't make it." the kid nodded, attempting to wipe her tears away.

"Alright, I'm gonna draw their attention, meet me at that department store from last night. Where's my helmet?" she gestured toward the living room.

"Sorry, I didn't grab it." he shrugged, seeming to take a deep breath.

"Anya, these are not like the Stalkers. Do not, under any circumstance, engage. If I am not at that store in ten minutes, get the hell out of here. Do I make myself clear?" she nodded and he darted out of the room, his dog hot on his heals. She waited a minute or so, until she heard gunshots. As soon as she did, she grabbed the kids hand and pulled her out the window.

()

I ran out into the living area, leaping past the two corpse in my way. My helmet was sitting on the floor, right next to the couch. I quickly grabbed it and lugged the cord bouncing on my back into it. there was a two second boot up logo, displaying the Crye tech logo in a blue hologram on my ballistic visor, just before targets started highlighting outside, using the Koreans own Identify friend or foe system to track the Mechs known as Oni outside. One was stepping up to the window, a clear red diamond surrounding it on the heads up display. I aimed and fired, watching the two rounds ping off the armor before yanking the door open and slipping out into the hall. In seconds, I was out the door, ramming through the glass door leading outside. Five of the Oni were marching straight for me, blades already drawn. I ran straight at one, firing my rifle as fast as I accurately could, focusing on it's right arm joint. Only two of the rounds connected, but the severing of it's hydraulic lines caused dark brown liquid to spurt across the thin snow on the ground, dropping the bladed weapon as well. I shoulder charged it, my empty weapon being almost useless now. pain ripped through my shoulder as both myself and the mech fell to the snow. Before I could think to react, it grabbed me with it's unharmed arm, throwing me several feet away. pain ripped across my body as I bounced across the surface, the thin snow doing nothing to soften the landing on hard concrete. I managed to yank another clip out of my bandolier, loading it and firing at the mech's knee join. My round ripped into it, tearing hydraulic lines again, but the mech kept moving dragging itself along with it's good arm and leg. I cursed, narrowly ducking a swing by one of the other mechs before dancing a few feet away, firing a trio of round into it's head. The three rounds did no more than stagger the mech, but it was enough for me to get further away.

"Roxy, find Anya, stay with her. Anya is in charge of you now!" the dog whimpered as more of the Oni closed in, completely ignoring her. one snap of my fingers and she was gone, running through the snow and leaving me alone. Of the original five I had engaged, two of them were within twenty feet of me. One was crawling after me, the other having scrapes in it's paint on the face, but nothing else. Three more were advancing from the apartment, from the smashed window of the kids room, joining those already out there. Three more were marching from around one of the corners of the building, the last of the standard dozen deployed being the one I had already disabled. I aimed at the closest again, firing a pair of rounds into it's knee to slow it down before taking off running, headed for the otherside of the larger street, hoping to use the buildings to slip away. suddenly, more red diamonds appeared ahead of me, advancing through the building. The only reason I knew they were there being the IFF systems on them. I instantly veared, headed down the street. Three of the ONI moved into a position to block me, a growl slipping out of my throat. I aimed and fired at the center one of the three, the two remaining rounds in my weapon staggering it for a second as I attempted to run past. But it seemed to have known what I was planning, sticking it's blade out and slapping the flat side against my shoulder, and electric current ripping through the leather and fabric like it wasn't even there. My vision blurred out, not even realizing that I had hit the snow. My empty weapon was still firmly in my hands, but my entire body was twitching and not following any command I tried to give it. one of the ONI, likely the one I had tried to run by was now standing over me, raising it's blade to strike a killing blow. I tried to reach for my handgun, fumbling with the clasp that kept it in the holster. Before I could draw the weapon, a blurred mass slammed into the Oni, my eyes catching sight of her in time to recognize Anya, her weapon slung as she rammed her pistol into it's chin, firing several rounds. The light shorted and died as she fired, marking the rounds as having killed it. she quickly scrabbled to her feet and grabbed the handle on my armor, dragging me as fast as she could. I managed to pull my hand gun, my hands shaking so badly that I missed with all but two rounds of the eight round magazine, the two rounds that connected hitting way off my aim point of an Oni's knee, one on it's chest, the other into it's shoulder joint, jamming it. I quickly fought to my feet, shakily running after anya as she signaled at the kid, Roxy being hot on our tails. Even with her limp, she was still managing to run better than I was, every muscle in my body feeling like lead. We ran for what seemed like an eternity, none of us wanting to stop. Suddenly, Anya collapsed into the snow, her breath nothing more than ragged gasps. I quickly looked around, seeing an abandoned restaurant and pointing the kid towards it. She nodded and ran towards the building, opening the door as I scooped Anya up, having a lot more difficulty than I should have. As soon as I had carried her in, I lead the way to the dark kitchens, setting her on her feet just long enough to flick my helmet light on, moving to the former meat locker and half carrying her into it. as soon as we were in, I slammed the door shut, panting.

"Anya….. that… was fucking…. Stupid….. of you!" she just groaned as I reloaded my rifle, very glad that I had managed to hang onto it through the whole chase. I looked around the meat locker as I tried to tell if the HUD was managing to get signals out, which it likely wasn't. Even though the walk in freezer was unpowered, it was still bitterly cold, the kid shivering. I quickly dropped my jacket and handed it too her, which she quietly thanked me for. I pulled my helmet off, setting it on one of the shelves as I continued to fight for air, letting the sweat dry on my skin, leaching warmth away whether I liked it or not. Before I could react, Anya was wrapping her arms around me, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't you dare ever tell me to abandon you again! I could have lost you Damien!" I was utterly bewildered for a few seconds, hugging her back, only to be totally shocked again as her lips met mine. I couldn't help but kiss her back, not letting go for several minutes. She finally broke off the kiss, looking as confused as I was. She moved to step away, looking almost frightened, but I didn't let her, hugging her tighter. _There is no way I am letting go of her now. Looks like Roxy gets to keep her friend after all._ "I shouldn't have done that, i…. I really shouln't have…." I cut her off, putting a finger on her mouth.

"Stop. I'm kinda glad you did. I'm sorry Anya. I….." I wanted to tell her everything, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the words to come out. She reached up and wiped a tear off my cheek, not even knowing I was crying.

"Okay."


	12. Moving Foward

**and another chapter. one more and i'll be done with Anya's past. enjoy!**

* * *

 _Don't dwell on what went wrong. instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward, toward finding the answer. –Denis Waitley_

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Pittsburg, October, 2031_

 _Anya took a deep breath, hoping to steady herself. It had only been a few days since the ambush, just long enough for them to have gone to ground, discover that Wyatt was still alive, find his location, and plan to break him out. Molina and herself were set up in a building with an M110 from storage in his hands, Anya still using her rifle, simply resting on sand bags rather than a bipod, using a table in the room as a shooting bench, so that they weren't sticking their rifle barrels out the window. She glanced nervously at the soldier beside her, barely noticing his comforting smile._

 _"We'll get him back Anya. Don't you worry about that." She groaned, focusing on her scope again._

 _"I can't help it! I caused this mess!" she heard Molina sigh as she focused on the building the KPA was using as 'police station' it was a two story office building, lots of windows to see into, with cells built into the basement. There was an abandoned three story building beside it that Liz, Brandon, and Cameron were currently working their way through. Anya and Molina were several blocks away, in a multistory apartment building with a very clear view on both buildings, able to see the soldiers patrolling on the roof._

 _"No. you didn't. no use worrying about the past. We have one goal. Clear the roof, cover the team. You spot, I shoot. Hold your fire until the party starts." She nodded, trying to focus herself on the task at hand. there were shockingly few guards on the roof. And even so, they were spread out, clustered in ones and twos. "Ready?" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she responded._

 _"Yeah. lets do this." He didn't respond to her, her eyes focusing on the roof. "What are we going to do about those two guards. They are right where the others need to go." He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke._

 _"I can handle that. Tell me if the others are looking, this is going to tricky." She nodded, putting as much of the roof into her scope as she could. All of the guards were looking elsewhere._

 _"Your-" she didn't get to finish, a pair of loud clacks hitting her ears as the weapon beside her cycled. She barely saw the two soldiers dropped, so quick that they barely were able to respond._

 _"Next?" she thought quickly looking at the four others on the roof. Two were watching the opposite side, one the far, one the close. The far was closer to the two dropped soldiers, and must have heard something as he was beginning to turn that way._

 _"Far. Now!" he reacted faster than she ever could, another loud clack, followed by the soldier clutching his leg. She heard him curse, but it was already to late, the second clack silencing a scream they couldn't hear._

 _"Go loud! Ten minutes, in and out!" she was already reacting, firing on the pair that was turning. The unfamiliar crack of her rifle bit at her ears, followed by one of the soldiers dropping. She quickly worked the bolt, barely managing to do so in a decent amount of time. The second soldier was running for a vent fan for cover. She fired her second round, not breathing the way she Wyatt and Molina had taught her. the round hit the gravel of the roof, powderizing some of it and blasting it into the air. She cursed, working the bolt again, only to see a burst of red on the other side of his head, synced up with a clack beside her. her attention dropped to the lower floors, panicking. Her next shot missed as well, shattering one of the windows and nothing more. She worked the bolt again, trying to fire again. When she did, one of the soldiers dropped his weapon, clutching at his arm. Her fifth round yielded better results, seeing the white clad soldier drop. Movement on the roof drew her attention, seeing her friends up on the roof. Two more soldiers were on the roof, a pair of bursts from Brandon and Cameron dropping them. She quickly started reloading her weapon, freezing as Molina spoke. "Everyone, get the hell out of there! Enemy drone's inbound!" She panicked, dropping a pair of the rounds she was trying to load. The drones were small quad rotor craft, not much bigger than a large dog. A pair of five five six caliber miniguns, small enough to actually be hand carried, were mounted on each of them. They didn't have enough ammo for an extended fight, but their mobility made a long firefight highly unlikely. Two of them instantly opened fire. It only took a couple of seconds for them to stop firing, emptying their two hundred and forty round belts in a couple of seconds. It was enough devastation to shred four furrows in the roof top. She screamed as Brandon was caught in two of the tracer filled streams, at least four tracers lancing into his body. She knew that tracers were generally spaced five rounds apart. He wasn't moving after he hit the ground. She panicked, barely managing to focus on one of the unspent drones. Her heave round tor into it's light chassis, but likely didn't hit anything vital. She worked the bolt as it moved to flank Camron and Liz, seeing a black lance leap away from her bow. It embedded itself in one of the rotor stabs, going through and disrupting the rotor. It spun out of the air, but while they had been distracted, a whole squad had moved onto the roof, several different rifles firing into the now exposed Liz._

 _"Liz!" Anya couldn't believe her eyes as she watched her friend fall. she almost didn't notice as the last drone flanked Cameron. It emptied it's entire load of munitions into him. The amount of blood on the roof from the burst of fire was all she could see. Everything else seemed to simply drop out of her mind. She stared, unbelieving of the scene before her._

 _"Anya! We have to go!" she barely registered his voice, or his grip as he tried to drag her from the table. She didn't even know she was crying until a crack ripped through the room, Molina gasping as he fell to the floor. It seemed to snap her out of her trance, slinging her rifle before she grabbed the handle on his armor, dragging him from the room._

* * *

 _Wanderer, Denver, December, 2031_

I smiled as I watched Anya sleep , her head resting on my lap, both of us stripped of our armor and gear. She had been a little fitful in her sleep earlier, but now, that seemed to have passed. It had been several hours since the running fight with the Oni, and to be perfectly honest, I was starving. But, not only did I still hurt from being hit with an impromptu stun baton, I didn't want to wake Anya, who had quickly fallen asleep. Running like we had on an injured leg was not an easy feat, and whether she admitted it or not, was more than likely excruciating. I sighed, glancing over at the little girl, curled completely under my jacket. She had been sobbing quietly earlier, but Anya had managed to calm her enough to get her to go to sleep, which seemed to be what everyone wanted to do right now, the dog included. Roxy was pressed firmly up against Anya's back, resting her chin on Anya's shoulder as she snored happily away. I rolled my eyes at the dog, wishing I could sleep like she could, like there wasn't a single bad thing in the world. And, given the fact that we were still in enemy territory, one of us had to stay awake. As much as the KPA would love to, we couldn't afford to be discovered while asleep. Hell, we couldn't afford to be discovered at all. I almost jumped when Anya suddenly spoke, myself so lost in my own mind that I hadn't noticed her shift.

"Well hi Roxy. Does she do this to you?" her voice was very soft, more half asleep still than anything else.

"Yeah. the big scary war dog just loves to cuddle." She chuckled softly, accidently waking the dog and earning herself several licks of the face before she could sit up, Roxy happily plopping herself between us.

"Well, I guess she's just like her owner than. Big and scary on the outside, all soft and fuzzy on the inside." I grunted at her, the barest trace of a smile fighting it's way onto my face.

"Not even close Anya." She sighed, her voice darkening a bit.

"It's barely been two months since I wasn't single." I barely glanced at her, speaking before I could really stop myself.

"Gee, I half expected you to _not_ be single." She glared at me, myself not noticing the slight smirk on her face.

"What, do I strike you as someone who would cheat on the person she's with?" I froze, my brain struggling to find a suitable answer. The cold room suddenly seemed quite warm, and not quite comfortably so.

"No! I…. um, i…. I just….. I mean you really seem like someone who wouldn't be single! i… fuck that sounds just as bad, I….. you're too beautiful to be single!" I suddenly froze, not even realizing what I had said until after I said it. she chuckled softly, gently patting my shoulder.

"Smooth, tough guy." I glared at her, realizing that she had been teasing me.

"You are just fucking with me aren't you?" she laughed, reaching over the dog to half hug me.

"A little bit, yeah. i….. want to talk to you about something though. Serious." I nodded, simply watching her. "My brother….. I'm…. I was the reason he was captured." I sighed, gently squeezing her shoulder.

"Anya, what the KPA does is on them. Not you." She shook her head, several tears leaking out of her eyes.

"You don't get it though! We were targeted because I decided to shoot a fucking general! I didn't ask anyone else, I didn't think about it, I just did! everyone is dead because of me! Liz, her dad, Brandon, Molina… Cameron….. they are all dead because I didn't think about what I was doing! We didn't have the people to deal with the shit storm killing one of their leaders causes!" she was sobbing into her hands, shuddering slightly.

"That isn't your fault Anya. You all agreed to fight, didn't you?" she nodded and I continued. "That means they all knew what they were getting into. If anything, those who are dead now, are better off. Because they don't have to be here in this suffering anymore." She just continued to sob, another sigh slipping out of my mouth. My voice caught in my throat as I decided on what to say, closing my eyes for a second before I spoke. "Anya, I watched my entire family get butchered. My sister, my parents….. not long after, I watched as my girlfriend of the time was executed. And when I finally found a place to call home again, even to the point of finding someone I loved, the KPA destroyed all of it." I wasn't looking at her anymore. I couldn't. I couldn't let her see how many tears were rolling down my cheeks.

"Damien?" I shuddered, still unwilling to look at her.

"and to make it all worse, the first person I killed, wasn't even a KPA soldier! It was….." I choked, completely unable to say her name. I swallowed several times before I managed to continue. "I loved her. And I killed her." Anya was suddenly in front of me, falling across my chest as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, my own arms wrapping around her. she was sobbing into my uniform top as my own tears slipped off my cheek and into her hair, oddly finding myself comforted by holding her like this.

"Damien….. what happened that you….. killed her?" she had pushed herself up, just enough to look me in the face. I looked away, unable to look her in the eye. I found myself fearing how she might react, hesitating telling her. "Damien?"

"I….we… I had been out on a patrol. She decided to try to sneak up on me, as a joke. So we were away from the base when they attacked. When I was with that special forces group. She was with me while I was trying to save the dogs. When the roof gave way….." I froze again, unable to stop the memories from surfacing. "She was trapped under an I-beam. I tried and tried to get her out, and that's how I burned my hands. In the end, she was doused by some sort of fuel line or something and well….. I shot her. she was screaming in utter agony, her pelvic region was crushed…. And I killed her…." Anya used one hand to gently force me to look her in the eye, just before she kissed me yet again, much shorter than the first time, and yet, somehow sweeter.

"I'm sorry. I wish I had something better to say, or do, but, I'm sorry." I nodded, simply pulling her closer.

"You do enough Anya. Do me a favor?" she didn't try to pull away, just angling her head away from my chest so I would hear her.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Don't blame yourself anymore. I know that's a tall order, but it's time to move on. For both of us." she nodded, myself feeling more than seeing the motion. I wasn't really sure how long we had been sitting there when my stomach grumbled. I was about to speak when I realized that Anya had fallen asleep again, a small smile on her face. She seemed so peaceful now, as if there wasn't a single stress in the entire world. I sighed, not really wanting to wake her, but knowing I had to. "Anya?" she didn't stir at my whispered voice, so I gently shook her, earning a small groan from the woman as she glared at me.

"Something up?" I shook my head, her glare quickly becoming a smile.

"I hate to say this but we should get a move on. It's still a few hours movement to get to the homestead, and we need to get out of this search area. We've been lucky so far, but that could change at any moment." She sighed and nodded, rolling over so she could sit up. As soon as she was standing, I was up and strapping my gear back on, while she woke the girl up, not needing as much time as I did. she nodded to me and I returned it before slipping my helmet on and plugging the HUD system in, hoping the enemy was using their IFF.

* * *

 _Lone sniper_

Anya smiled as she walked through the tunnel leading into the homestead. Tunnels were the only way in or out of the homestead. Most were total mazes, the actual route toward the base being extremely well hidden. The KPA had even tried to explore the tunnels, the maze of passages, misleading markers, and near impossible to find real routes, caused them to be unable to find their way. This, and similar tunnels constructed by resistance cells across the country, had caused the KPA to develop the tunnel bots. She had seen several tunnels collapsed, and noticed that certain tunnels seemed different than the others. All were marked with symbols and colors, Damien seemed to be following a blue triangle shape, with a small dent in the center. She had seen several variants, the dent shifting places on some of the symbols. Similar symbols were all across the tunnel system, but none had the dent. To a casual observer, they may not notice the dents, or think they were just marks made during the digging, but no other blue triangles had the dents.

"So I'm guessing the tunnels are easier to navigate than they look?" Wander stopped for a second, his helmet light blinding her until he flicked it off. She had the little girls hand, and had been leading her along.

"Yeah, if you know what your doing. Blue dented triangles mark the way home. Red arrows mark alternate routes to a route home, so do yellow octagons. Most others are now booby trapped. KPA stopped trying to map the tunnels after they learned that." She smirked, having seen all of those symbols. "Also, an X carved over a tunnel system is a blocked tunnel. They try to keep up with the bots, but we still gotta be careful." She nodded and he got back to leading the way. Before long, they reached one of the rock doors used to cover the final stretches of the main tunnel. They were manned positions, a set of mirrors and magnifiers painstakingly installed to allow the guard to see the people on the other side. A section of rock moved, Roxy leading the way through. The guard on the other side smirked at the dog, seeing them coming in. he stopped Wander, glancing at the girl.

"What happened?" she saw a tear slip out of Wander's eyes.

"Oni, we weren't followed, or traced. You can check." He smirked, glancing at an old tablet sitting at his station.

"We installed scanners into the approach tunnels. You put off the same signal as a drone, but it aint KPA?" he groaned before he suddenly unbuckled the camelback looking pouch on his back.

"Yeah, sorry. I-F-F and HUD. Forgot to turn the gear off. Shouldn't need to but better safe than sorry though." He opened a Velcro compartment on it, letting him switch it off. "Need to charge it anyway." He smirked, pressing a button, hydraulics moving the rock back into position.

"You and the Colonel. Same shit, different time. Sorry about what happened to them." He shrugged, and she could tell he was grinding his teeth.

"Forget it. come on Anya. Not far now." she nodded, following him. It didn't take long for them to start making their way up the ramp leading into the cul-de-sac that was the headquarters for the Denver resistance. They were instantly being intercepted by the local cell's leader.

"Thank god. Wander, the KPA figured out the tunnels. Homestead is still secure but the others are in danger. We need your help." Wander was instantly reacting, unslinging his weapon.

"Ruck, where, now." he pointed inside and Anya followed him. They were led back to the rooms, anya only stopping by her room to grab her M468. When she stepped into his room, he had his pack open, pulling out ammo and stuffing it away before he reloaded his empty pistol magas soo as he was done, he removed the electronics suite off his back again, his radio still hooked up to a pouch on it. he flicked it on before he tapped a few commands on his wrist pad.

"This is Wander. Broken Arrow imminent. I repeat, Broken Arrow imminent. Need immediate support, whatever can be scrambled to Denver, local B-net is online, targets to follow, over!" an unfamiliar voice filled the room after he spoke.

"We are barely reading you. Reconfirm, Broken Arrow, over?" Wander was almost instant in responding.

"Confirmed, Broken Arrow. Need immediate air or support assets, over." She heard a curse over the radio, just before the voice returned.

"Alright, Basilisk is scrambling now. E-T-A, fifteen mikes, how copy?" Wander smiled for the barest trace of a second before responding.

"Alright, solid copy, Basilisk en route. Target data to follow, over." he unplugged his radio from his pack, leaving it on the floor he grabbed a small device from his ruck, plugging the radio into it before securing that to his gear. "Anya, I need you to stay here, monitor this comm gear, keep it running. This will be our lifeline. Jason, get her a coax cable to your antenna, this gear will need the booster to reach the other outposts. I need you to get the laser designators up. Basilisk is gonna bring the rain, we just gotta buy time. Got it?" the cell leader nodded before rushing out. Anya stopped Wander as he stood to leave, unclipping her leg carrier with the ammo for her assault rifle.

"Wander, take my rifle. If you are going to war, take something a little more fitting for a modern fight. I'll take your rifle. Just in case. I'm…. sorry I don't have more ammo." He just shrugged, setting his rifle down before unclipping his bandolier. It didn't take him long to slip the drop down carrier of ammo on before he accepted the rifle. "Damien…. Good luck, okay?" he smirked before slipping his helmet off, just to kiss her for a second.

"Don't need it. stay safe." And with that, he left the room, leaving Anya and the girl alone in the room, Roxy having followed him out.


	13. Steel Rain

**Been awhile since i was able to write on this one, very glad i can. hope it wont be too long before the end.**

* * *

 _"If you're in a fair fight, you didn't plan it properly." –Nick Lappos_

 _Wanderer, Homestead, December 2031_

I double checked the magazine on Anya's rifle, making sure it was full before slapping it back into the weapon. Outside the building, the small cul-de-sac was a flurry of activity, several pick up trucks being loaded with munitions, the front and rear truck having a machine gun mounted on them, a 7.62 M240 on the front truck and the smaller M249 on the rear truck. I was about to climb into the back of one of the trucks when I realized Roxy was still following me, looking back at the dog and sighing.

"Roxy, go guard Anya." The dog whimpered at me, earning a small sigh for it. "Don't worry, I'll be fine girl, just go." The dog barked and trotted back to the main house, looking back at me as I settled into the bed of one of the trucks, along with several other resistance fighters. I didn't need to hear it to know the dog was whining as the truck lurched away, out into the suburbs. "Hey, why are we taking trucks?" the resistance fighter I had spoken to looked confused before I pointed up at the sky.

"We set up drone jammers all around the area, and RADAR stations to tell us if enemy aircraft are in the area. We're clear, for now." I nodded, accepting that as the truck lurched through the streets. It didn't take long for it to arrive a small strip mall being used as a supply depot. I could tell the normal forces stationed at the location were already preparing for a fight, but with how few were there, it wouldn't take much to defeat them. Between those on the trucks, and those already there, the total barely reached twenty. Most of them were in street clothes, only a handful having more than a load carrier. _Unarmored, ill-equipped, outnumbered. I really hope they have a plan._ I quickly leapt from the truck, helping the others unload ammo cans from the truck, realizing one was a can of six point eight special, already loaded into magazines. I quickly grabbed a few of the random mags, some polymer, some steel and of several varieties, sliding them into the cargo pocket under my pistol holster, also using the empty pouches on my vest. Another one of the fighters also grabbed mags from the same can, toting the rare civilian version of Anya's military rifle. I nodded to the older man, not noticing that the others had started to group around me.

"Wander, we got people using the tunnels to try and get the supplies out. We just need to hold them back. Long enough to get our supplies out. We'll follow your lead." I glanced around, realizing that the whole group was looking to me. _What!? Why would they want my advice! I'm just a kid compared to half of them!_ I gulped stepping out past them to survey the area. Cars had been used to create barricades, leaving only two real access ways by ground into the area. And to reach the strip center was a two hundred meter long parking lot, a single defunct fast food restaurant on the right flank.

"Yank the two-forty off that truck, get a team of guys on that restaurant roof, set up a support by fire position. Put one of the SAW's up there. I want the other SAW up on the roof above the depot. Everyone else, split into buddy teams across the parking lot, use the cars for cover. Remember to stay behind the engine blocks, the rest of the car frame won't work as cover. Set up interlocking fields of fire with the teams next to you." I pointed to the locations as I spoke, still looking for anything else that could change the game for us.

"Uh, interlocking… what?" I cursed, realizing how much of an effect the training I had received was having.

"Each team will have a section that is their responsibility, a pie wedge, so to speak. These fields of fire need to overlap slightly so there are no holes in coverage. Got it?" they nodded as my attention turned to the stores themselves. "I want the SAW on the roof to hold fire until I give the word, they will cover us as we fall back to the buildings, should we need to. I will be setting up support by fires with local air cover. Now move!" they all nodded and rushed to set up positions, myself tapping commands on the wrist pad, opening a com line. "Wander to Command, requesting status on broken arrow, over?"

"We have two F-Thirty-Fives, and two F-Twenty-twos on station and ready to engage. We also have two one-oh-five batteries in range on standby, and one Hi-Mar battery, how copy?" I quickly typed up several co-ordinates onto the tac pad, hitting send as soon as I was done.

"Good copy, I just sent co-ordinates for saturation fire by the one-oh-fives, I want the Hi-Mars on standby, and the birds ready for lazing. Out." I didn't listen for a response, starting to move forward, joining the resistance fighters. I had barely made it twenty feet from where we had been talking when an explosion rocked the area, off in the buildings across the parking lot. I instinctively dived for the ground, covering my rifle with my body as I shouted. "Inco-" I didn't get to finish as deafening explosions rocked the area, drowning out all thoughts or sounds.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper_

Anya watched from the window as the trucks left, having seen Damien tell his dog to stay. She watched as Roxy trotted a few steps further, almost like she was going to follow the vehicals, but she stopped, looking between the house and the way the trucks had gone. Anya frowned as the dog's tail went between it's legs and trotted into the house, quickly appearing in the room with Anya. The dog looked up to her, whining at her. she sighed and limped closer to the dog, sitting so she could lean on the wall, Roxy instantly curling up next to her. she tried to calm the dog by scratching behind her ear. Even so, the dog seemed almost panicked. Anya let out a sigh, her gaze shifting to the girl in the corner. She looked no more than seven or eight, and definitely had her fathers orange red hair. She had her knees clutched to her chest, her eyes fixed to the floor a few feet in front of her, tears streaming from her green eyes. Anya couldn't help but want to join her in crying, her heart feeling like it was about to break just watching the young girl. She was still wearing Wander's jacket, and it was completely swamping her tiny frame, almost comically so. She was about to move to comfort the gal when a sharp boom ripped through the house, rattling everything around them. Roxy shot to her feet, the dog visibly quivering as more booms rattle her to her bones. Anya knew the booms were coming from the direction the convoy went, and just one look at the dog told her that Roxy wanted nothing more than to rush to her master's side. But the dog stood fast, whining at the top of her lungs. Anya carefully grabbed the dog around the chest, hugging the animal to her in an attempt to calm Roxy, but it only seemed to make her whine more.

"Shhh, it's okay Roxy, he'll be fine. He always is."

* * *

 _Wanderer, Resistance Supply Depot_

My head reeled, my ears ringing despite the advanced ear protection covering them. my entire body felt as though I had been beaten to a pulp. I tried to push myself up, only for my muscles to fail, collapsing back down for a second. _Damn it, I'm not going down like this!_ I barely managed to stagger to my feet, looking around the now ruined wasteland surrounding me. Somewhere close to thirty shell holes now filled the area, the thin layer of snow on the ground blasted away. each shell hole was between ten and fifteen feet wide, and several feet deep.

"Everyone! On your feet! Get into shell holes for cover, stick to the plan!" I could barely hear my own voice as I sprinted forward, sliding into one of the holes and going prone at the edge of it, using the lip as cover a few seconds passed before one of the resistance members dropped beside me, the same one using the civilian M468. Before anymore could happen, a second barrage rained down, both of us sliding deeper into the hole. This barrage felt far less intense, most of the shock waves passing over the shell hole, even though the barrage definitely lasted a lot longer. I felt the air over pressure for a second, a massive thud resounding in my ears, despite the amount of noise we were under. Once the blasts finally stopped, I crawled back to the edge of the shell hole, bringing my rifle to the ready.

"Shit. You gotta be a walking lucky charm or something." I glanced over at the resistance fighter, barely even able to hear him right now. he was sitting on the slope of the shell hole, looking deeper in. I glanced behind me, seeing the unexploded shell half buried in the dirt.

"Keep your focus. Infantry and armor are going to follow." I tapped a command on my wrist pad, setting a message up for quick sending. The other fighter rolled over and got ready as well, the near silence after the violent blasts infinitely more terrifying than the blasts could ever be. Cracks began to break the silence, white camouflaged troops starting to rush down the two access ways. I tapped the send button before sighting in on one of the enemy soldiers, aiming just ahead of him as he sprinted into the area. One gentle squeeze of the trigger later, and he was face planting on the ground, and I was bouncing to another target as the soldier dived to the ground. My first shot missed, but the second following right behind it caused the soldier to cease moving altogether. Just as I started to seek a third target, a screech drowned out all of both the friendly and enemy fire, followed by a blast just outside of the perimeter, followed by several others as one-oh-five shells began to land on the two approach routes, likely killing and injuring dozens of enemy forces. There was a short gap in the fire until the second battery opened fire, but even with eight guns firing, enemy troops were still flooding into the area faster than they could be killed.

"Wander, this is Red Wing three, we have eyes on enemy artillery emplacements, we will be engaging shortly. Fang four will remain on standby for air support, how copy, over?" I barely heard the pilot over the radio, seeing a pair of specs in the distance, likely the two planes.

"Solid copy Red Wing!" as soon as I had responded, I moved to continue shooting, only to see the enemy falling back. _Fuck, those guns are going to fire again!_ "Everyone, get down!" I hunkered down in the hole, just seconds before more artillery rounds struck, rocking every single one of my senses. By the time the shelling stopped, I could hear screaming from somewhere. "Stay here!" the fighter nodded as I staggered to my feet, running between shell holes closer to the screams. As near as I could tell, an artillery round had impacted in the hole with him, blowing the man's leg off and peppering him with shrapnel. Without thinking, I yanked the IFAK off my side, quickly finding my only turnicate, securing it as tight as I could on the injured leg, near his groin.

"Wh-Where's Wil-ill" his voice was quaking, his eyes completely dilated in shock. I glanced around the shell hole, realizing there were bits of clothe around the hole, blackened beyond recognition, as well as a mashed and bent rifle, not even recognizable anymore.

"He's gone, I'm sorry. Come on, I gotta get you out of here." I quickly stood him up, easily picking him up in a firemen's carry before marching out of the shell hole. _Damn, when did I get so dizzy?_ I staggered several times as I carried the man toward the supply depot. Cracks began to announce the enemy's return, seeing dust and concrete kicked up around me, feeling the shock waves as bullets came close to hitting me. Amazingly, I made it into the building, setting the man down inside. There were several resistance fighters inside, all had been focused on moving the supplies until I stepped inside. They stared wide eyed at me as I set the man down, myself barely noticing as I went straight back out the door, and right back into the fight. I had barely taken ten steps when I was thrown forward, a deafening blast erupting from somewhere behind me. One glance forward told me what had happened, a T-150 rolling out of one streets. It had a burn on the hull, clear evidence of a near hit by a 105 shell, but even those powerful shells could barely scratch a heavy tank. I cursed, launching to my feet and sprinting very short spurts, dropping right back to the ground just a second or so after starting. A concussive wave blasted over me as another tank round was fired into the building, myself unwilling to look back.

"Fang four, I'm lazing an enemy tank, danger close, how copy, over?!" as I spoke, I pulled a small device from one of my waist pouches, activating the small laser designator and aiming it at the tank's rounded hull.

"Solid copy, aircraft inbound." I scrambled forward, trying to keep the laser trained on the tank as I slid into a shell hole. Almost in sync with me sliding into the shell hole, a loud crack followed almost instantly by an explosion marked a missile slamming into the tank, blowing it to pieces. The concussive wave off that blast sent my head reeling, almost unable to think from the headache now filling my mind.

"Good hit, say again, good hit, target destroyed!" I shot to my feet, more falling than actually dropping into the shell hole I had started in.

"Roger. We got several armored vehicles approaching your position. Recommend calling in those Hi-Mars. We'll try to thin them out. Out." I heard the pilot over the radio as a white streak marked another missile, another boom marking a destroyed tank. A few taps on the Tac Pad sent a message to the Hi-Mar battery. As soon as I had, I returned to shooting at enemy soldiers. I almost panicked when my first shot missed, every shot rattling my mind and making it hurt all the more. I was barely managing to hit anything any more, just happy to make an enemy hunker down. Several massive booms, followed by a shrill screech and an even greater boom, started marking the long ranged, high powered rocket artillery began to decimate the area ahead of us. _Can't be much longer, can it?_ I almost cursed as I changed my first magazine, taking aim again and opening fire.


	14. Iron Will

_We fight, even against insurmountable odds, because sometimes we win. -Billy Parish_

 _Lone Sniper, Pittsburg, October, 2031_

 _Anya struggled to drag Molina further away from the apartment building, toward a white van parked not far away from her. **Damn it, don't die on me too!** Dale seemed to notice her dragging the soldier, leaping from the driver seat and rushing over to her, helping her carry him the last bit of the way and load him into the back of the van._

 _"What happened Anya!?" she couldn't think, her eyes focused on the bleeding wound on Molina's chest. She had already pulled the release handle on his armor, leaving the ruined plates behind. Despite the gauze she had tried to wrap to him, blood was still flowing freely from the wound, already starting to pool on the floor of the van. "Anya!?" she looked at Dale, tears filling her eyes._

 _"Th-they're gone…" she barely managed to whisper that to him, the former trucker letting out a stream of swear words._

 _"Get in and keep pressure on his wound, we're leaving." She nodded and climbed in, slamming the doors behind her before placing both her hands on Molina's chest, keeping them pressed in place, and hoping she wasn't stopping his ability to breath. Blood had started leaking from his mouth as he coughed, more blood spurting out._

 _"Turn me on my injured side." His voice was sharp and raspy, almost inaudible as the van's tires screeched on the pavement. She did as she said, realizing that he was bleeding from his back to, his tattered T-shirt stained red with blood already._

 _"Wh-what do I do!?" he coughed again, more blood spattering across the deck, just before she was slammed into the weapon rack to her left, the van feeling like it was about to roll over._

 _"G-G-Get… tape… and… and two sheets of… of plastic…" the man could barely speak, Anya quickly grabbing the thick plastic cover from a military ration and using her pocket knife to cut it. her brain was panicked as she tried to search the cramped interior of the van for any kind of tape, nearly cheering when she found some duct tape in an old tool box. "N-now wi-wipe the blood away, and press the… the plastic to the wound, tape the edges down." She scrambled to what he said, using her bare hand in lieu of anything else to try and wipe the blood away. as soon as she had, she pressed the plastic over the wound and taped the four sides down, creating an impromptu chest seal, not that she really knew what that was at the time. Before she could move on to the wound on his back, a flurry of gunshots ripped at her ears, several rounds ripping though the van. She instinctively threw her body over Molina's, trying to shield him from the fire._

 _"Damn it, get those bastards off us!" Dale shouted from the drivers seat as the van lurched and swerved, trying to stay out of their line of fire. Anya cursed, grabbing Molina's rifle from the rack and smashing one of the rear windows out. There were two unarmored Humvees racing after them, likely repainted US military vehicles. Both had machineguns mounted into turret brackets on the vehicles roll cage, no soft or hard top to provide any protection for the soldiers within. These two Humvees were set up to chase down vehicles. Anya took aim at one as soon as she had smashed to glass out, firing a burst of fully automatic fire at the truck. The passenger side wind shield shattered from her shots, but as near as she could tell, she didn't hit the gunner or driving. Her second burst of fire yielded better results, killing the driver. When he slumped against the wheel, the truck started to lazily drift to the side before slamming into a telephone pole. Anya didn't really get to see the results, as the other gun truck had opened fire, bullets tearing through the van again. Anya let out a curse as she aimed at the second truck, her fire again killing the diriver, not that she would get to see the results. Just after she fired, one of the van's tire's popped, sending the van wildly out of control and into a building front. The next thing onya was aware of, she was lying in the bed of the van, her entire body feeling like one giant bruise. She panicked as she realized that Molina was still beside her. she rushed to apply the second chest seal, only to realize that he had stopped bleeding already. She started sobbing into her hands, barely noticing Dale as he wretched the side door open, grabbing her and Molina's rifles before dragging her out and away from the wrecked van._

* * *

 _Wanderer, Supply depot, December, 2031_

My head continued to reel with every shot I fired, finding myself less and less accurate as the battle wore on. The enemy had shelled us only one more time, and it had been a very weak barrage compared to the first. More corpses than I cared to count littered the ground, at least two tank husks burning in my field of view. The area beyond the two access routes was nothing but smoke and fire, the occasionally artillery round still landing amongst the ruins. Between the fighters and the Hi-Mars, I doubted they would try to send any more armor at this time. Although, I did know at least one of the jets had been shot down, several KPA birds now engaging the friendly craft. Half a dozen magazines lay in the dirt below me, all emptied, brass scattered all around the two of us, blown about by the wind or explosions after being ejected from the rifle. I could feel the heat bleeding off the barrel of the rifle, despite holding the weapon by a vertical fore grip, the shear volume of rounds fired in such a short time starting to make the weapon steam in the frigid air, intermixing with the cordite smoke and creating a thin fog about the area, making it all the harder to spot the white troopers still rushing at our positions. Even as I watched, even more enemy troops were flooding into the area.

"Command, tell those arty batteries to pick up the fire, the enemy is starting to break through!" it was several seconds before a response was heard, enough time that I had finished off the magazine I was on.

"One-oh-fives have one more volley, no more rounds after that, how copy?" I cursed, still reloading as I shouted into the mic.

"Roger that, divert all targets and remaining munitions to my position, wait for my call, over!" I didn't wait for a response as I looked to the guy beside me. "Start telling everyone to retreat into the tunnels, I got our left flank, you get the right." He nodded and we both took off running. Bullets cracked by far closer than I was comfortable with as I slid into the first shell hole, startling the two fighters hunkered down in it. thankfully, neither one tried to shoot me, both nodding as I told them to fall back. As soon as I had, I leapt back out of the shell hole and to the next one. I heard one of the fighters ahead of me screaming for help, sliding into the hole with him. "What's wrong?" I almost felt stupid for my rushed question as the man was pressing his hands against his team mates chest, trying to stem the flow of blood. I reached for my aid kit, realizing I had already yanked it out earlier, leaving it in the other shell hole. "Stay here, cut his shirt off and keep pressure on that wound, I'm going to be right back." He nodded and I was on my feet yet again, right back into the maelstrom of bullets criss crossing back and forth. I had barely even made it half way to the other shell hole when I felt an impact on my thigh just before my foot made contact with the ground. The second my weight went onto the leg, excruciating pain ripped across my leg, sending me tumbling to the ground. None of my muscles wanted to respond, all tensed from the shock of the bullet and the adrenaline now totally flooding my veins. I could feel my pulse pounding away in my head, my vison blurred out to the point that I could barely see. Despite the pain, despite knowing how hard it was to move, I forced myself back to my feet, half limping, half running the rest of the way. As soon as I was in the crater, I grabbed the IFAK off the ground and hobbled as fast as I could back the way I had come. Amazingly, even moving slower as I was, not a single bullet found it's mark on me. I dropped back into the crater with the wounded soldier, ignoring the blood and pain streaming from my thigh as grabbed the two chest seals from the kit and the roll of gauze. The uninjured fighter gotten the injured soldier's shirt off and was still pressing on his chest.

"Here, take the gauze, wipe away the blood." He nodded as I prepped the first chest seal, slapping it in place before gently rolling him over, searching his back for an exit wound. I near instantly found one, signaling the fighter to wipe the blood away again as I slapped the second seal in place. As soon as I was done, I shoved a roll of medical tape into the fighter's hands, instantly shouting again.

"As soon as you are in the tunnels, tape down all four sides of those chest seals, any time you set him down, put him on his side, injured side down, got it?" he nodded and I continued before he had any chance to speak. "Now fall back, I'll cover you."

"But what about you!? your hit too!" I almost ignored him, grabbing Anya's rifle out of the dirt as I fell onto my stomach, able to just aim over the lip of the crater.

"I'll be fine, now go!" as soon as I shouted at him, I opened fire, between the shaking in my muscles, the head splitting head ache I had, and the inability to really see straight, I wasn't exactly hitting the enemy, but the near miss's still made them duck for cover. as soon as the magazine was empty, I slid further into the crater and grabbed the one bandage in the medical kit, wrapping it around the wounded leg as tight as I could before securing. I knew it wasn't going to stop the bleeding, but at least it would slow it down. a quick glance to my left and right told me that all of the surviving resistance fighters had fallen back, the KPA starting to swarm into the area. _Now or never._ I slid down into the bottom of the shell hole before keying my mic again, hating myself for what I was about to say.

"Everything left on my position, now!" I heard Command acknowledge, myself just waiting for the explosions to begin raining down.

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, Homestead_

Anya continued to gently stroke the dog she had tightly clamped to her chest, able to feel that the dog was still quaking, despite her best efforts. Little did Anya realize, the dog wasn't the only one shaking. Even so, she had managed to calm the dog down enough that she wasn't whimpering any more, just the occasional whine. The distant booms had ceased a little while ago, starting to make Anya nervous that she hadn't had any word yet about the situation. Shouts outside gained her attention, causing her to finally release the dog and hobble her way outside. The entire cul-de-sac was a flurry of activity as twenty or so people were helped out of the tunnel network, almost all of them injured in some way or another. Her heart sank when she realized that none of them had on the brown green and tan splotch camo Wander wore, nor his helmet. The dog had trotted a few steps ahead of her, staring intently at the tunnel exit as if she fully expected for Wander to come bursting out of it. the whined several times as she patiently waited for her master to appear, her tail between her legs.

"Anya…" she glanced upon hearing her name, noticing the local cell leader, a frown on his face. "Damien… he… he stayed behind. We don't think he made it." the dog seemed to hear what he said, looking back at them before lying down, her nose toward the tunnel as her whining increased.

"I'm going after him." the cell leader tried to stop her but she yanked her arm out of his hand, glaring at him. "Roxy, come on, let's go find him." the dog instantly launched to her feet, trotting up beside her.

"Then I'm going with you. if even half what the other said is true, I owe him that much." She shrugged about to head for the tunnel when she hear him shout. "Get me that KPA Hummvee!" she stopped and waited as she hear an engine get fired up, the vehicle rolling out of one of the house's garage. As soon as it stopped near them, Anya hobbled over and opened the door, gesturing for the dog to jump in. the dog didn't need a second invitation, leaping right in, Anya following her. the interior of the up armored Humvee was as cramped as the last one she rode in, the dog sitting in the seat across from her as a gunner dropped into the hatch, the cell leader taking the driver's seat. it didn't take them long to find the remains of the supply depot, Anya's heart sinking when she saw the almost see of craters and bodies. It seemed like the KPA had fallen back for the moment, Anya sliding out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped, the dog dropping out right behind her.

"Go find him roxy." The dog barked once before taking a sniff of the air, suddenly taking off at a mad sprint, barking the whole way. Anya cursed to herself, trying to trot after the dog, the pain in her leg slowing her down. the dog stopped on the rim of one of the craters, barking once before disappearing inside. Anya's gut lurched at her potential discoveries in that crater, her imagination working entirely against her as she thought of more and more ways he could be dead in that crater. That caused her to start full on sprinting, despite the pain, freezing at what she saw inside the crater. An armored soldier was lying face down in the dirt, his uniform almost black from dust and debris, Roxy sitting across his back, like she was guarding him. Anya could hear the faint whine emanating from the dog, taking a second to compose herself, trying to prepare for the worst, before sliding into the crater herself. "Roxy, move." The dog gave her a sideways glance before looking away. Anya sighed, trying to gently shove the dog aside, only to earn a sideways glare from the dog, Roxy growling slightly. Anya instantly stopped trying to move the dog, suddenly very afraid that Roxy was about to attack her. what she got instead caused tears to flood out of her eyes.

"Roxy… Bad… Girl…" the faint whisper was enough to cause the dog to leap to her feet, tail between her legs, giving Anya a chance to slowly roll Wander over. Now that she could look at him, he was covered in shrapnel wounds, a bandage wownd tightly around his thigh, her rifle still clutched tightly in his hands. She instinctively searched his throat for a pulse, just to be sure. As soon as she found one, she pulled his torso up into a hug, sobbing into his neck, just glad he was still alive.

* * *

General Kai glanced up at his door as someone knocked, instantly shouting for them to come in. a terrified looking private stepped in, holding a manilla file folder, saluting the second he entered. Kai returned the salute, beckoning the kid forward.

 _"I was instructed to bring you the report on the depot raid from yesterday sir!"_ he nodded at the private, grabbing the report and waved him off, not even returning the soldiers second salute as he opened the folder, skipping the written report of the events, most of which he was already aware of, and going straight to the intelligence photo's snapped by a drone during the battle. It showed several resistance fighters fighting from shell holes, but they weren't what had grabbed his attention. The soldier running between craters in a U.S. military uniform, and gear he had only ever seen special forces use, however, held his full attention.

 _"How interesting…"_


	15. Rest and Relaxation

**Finally, i am managing to continue with this story! and just in time, as Anya and Wander just made their first appearance in War For Freedom**

* * *

 _'Patience is a virtue. If you want to get back in the fight, all you have to do is be patient. No one wants to have a barely-able soldier fighting by their side'-Cybroid_

* * *

 _Wanderer, Homestead, December 2031, Christmas day_

I could swear I could hear voices near me, but I couldn't place what was being said. My entire body felt numb and tired, unable to even open my eyes. _What's going on?! Why cant I move!?_ I couldn't help that thought, struggling to just shift how I was, but to no avail. After a few seconds, I felt someone's hand on mine, unable to help but feel comforted by their warm touch before I felt myself slip off again. It seemed like only moments passed before the numbness returned, but some how lessened, dull aches erupting all across my body. I finally managed to crack one of my eye's opened, barely able to see much more than blurs. But I could see Anya, her dark reddish brown hair flowing freely down her shoulder, crouched at something the seemed miles away. I knew she was speaking, but I had no idea what she was saying. All I wanted to do was reach out and hold her hand again, somehow knowing she had been the one to grab my hand earlier. My arm had no inclination to move, just barely managing to slide it off the bed I was on. I tried to call out to her, knowing I barely managed a weak croak. But it had been enough, seeing her head flick up at the sound, one of her hands brushing aside her hair so she could see me.

"Damien!?" her voice was no more than a weak whisper in my ear, almost droned out by a dull buzz I had yet to notice yet. She stood after she spoke, moving toward me, but she only seemed further and further away, until she disappeared into a sea of black.

The next thing I knew was a familiar voice breaking through a head splitting headache, shockingly clear. "He's doing fine Anya, given everything. Most of the other survivors have ruptured eardrums, several sever gunshot wounds, at least two people have severed limbs, and we lost almost half of them. everything he has will heal with time. Just be patient. I promise he'll wake up soon."

"Okay….." Anya's one whispered word was long and almost painful, so filled with worry and despair. All I wanted to do was reach out and comfort her, but I got the feeling I didn't need to, feeling her warm hand holding mine. I heard the shuffle of feet leaving the room, followed by the door closing. There was an annoyed grumble that came from a furry mass against my side as Roxy shifted position, her movement causing a few of the aches on my body to intensify. "Please just wake up! I need to hear your voice right now!" she was still holding my hand as she dropped her head onto my shoulder, myself able to feel moisture leaking through my shirt, barely managing to open my eyes. It felt like they were glued together with sand paper. Everything was blurry to me, and I could tell my lower half was under a blanket, but despite how bad my eyes were right now, I could easily see the side of her head, seeing that she was on her knees next to the bed. I tried to move my other hand, managing to gently brush her hair away from her face, smiling to her as I also gave her hand the strongest squeeze I could manage. Every muscle on my body felt thicker than lead. She startled at the touch, shooting up with a massive grin on her face, despite the tears still streaming down her face.

"Hey Anya. It's…." my voice choked up on me, forcing a gap in what I was trying to say. She used that gap to lunge forward, throwing her upper half on top of me in a bear hug even a bear would be terrified of. Along with it came a deep and passionate kiss that easily made the pain of being crushed to death disappear in an instant.

"You are a fucking asshole, you know that?" she broke off the kiss and laid her head beside mine to speak straight into my ear, myself only able to return her embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you, I…. I'm sorry." I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face, just happy holding her again, having honestly thought I never would ever again.

"Why?! Why did you call an artillery strike on yourself!?" despite all of the pain I was feeling right now, there was one pang of guilt that out powered it all because of that one decision.

"I couldn't think of another way to stop the KPA. And I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't let the KPA follow them here to you, or the people here. I'm so sorry Anya…" she gently smacked my chest, still crying into my shoulder, the motion waking the sleeping dog beside us, who started trying to nuzzle Anya out of the way to get to me. Not that Anya let her.

"I cant forgive you for that! Didn't you even stop to think what losing you right now would have done to me!? I… I cant…. I won't forgive you. never." More tears slipped out of my eyes as I closed them again, trying to just hold her tighter. I had nothing I could say to her against that. Not that there was anything anyway. "Just promise me you won't do that again…. Don't let yourself be killed… please…" I nodded against her, finally managing to speak past the catch in my throat.

"I Promise Anya."

* * *

 _Lone Sniper, December 2031_

Anya followed Roxy as she trotted outside, a tennis ball, half hanging out of the dog's mouth. The poor dog had been getting antsy since Wander was injured, with nothing to do. It was already new years eve, and her leg felt much better, able to finally walk on it without a limp. Over the past few days, she had filled Wander in about him being unconscious for several days, including his command calling, and her telling them he was still alive. Somehow, he said he knew they had called, Anya remembering that he had shifted and groaned that day, while she was on the radio. She never left his side until he was awake, but now that he was, she had started taking Roxy out into the back yard everyday to play fetch with her, letting the energetic dog burn off some energy. It had surprisingly warmed up some, just above freezing, so it was still cold, but the snow had melted away in the sunshine. Which she was not complaining about. Being able to clean her cloths and shower had also been amazing, feeling already settled into life here. Surprisingly, despite all of the fighting and death, the people here had celebrated Christmas, and were preparing to celebrate new years as well. Gifts had been generally practical, although she heard that a couple had married Christmas day, and she had to agree with the doctor, Anya herself had received the best present of all of them that morning with Damien waking up. Roxy dropped the ball at her feet in the brown, dead grass, happily wagging her tail as she waited expectantly. Anya smiled and gave the dog a scratch behind the ear before scoping the ball up and tossing it across the yard. One of the younger male resistance fighters had given her a new hoodie, a deep maroon zip up that wasn't tattered or frayed. He had grown out of it, but it was perfect for her, just loose enough to be comfortable but, just small enough to not be falling off her. as the dog came running back with the ball, she heard raised voices echoing out of the door, raising her eyebrow as she couldn't quite pick out who it was. She gave Roxy a pat, who canted her head at Anya as she walked back into the house. Little did Anya know, the dog scooped up the ball and followed her.

"-ven't done anything since the tunnel was blocked!?" she recognized Wander's voice, knowing he wasn't supposed to be up yet, likely having hobbled his way to the small command room just to stir up trouble. He had said several times that he was bored out of his mind.

"We lost our leader less than a month after that! We had no idea what to do, much less how to contact each other anymore!" she stepped into the room as Ken yelled back, having learned that was the name of the cell leader.

"What to do!? It's fucking simple! Find the KPA, watch the KPA, learn their patterns, hit them when they aren't looking, then fade the fuck away! it's so easy a two year old can figure it out to just to get cookies out of a god damned jar! And what happened to all of the training we gave you!" Wander was leaning up against the map table, red faced and sweating. His uniform had been ruined, the plates and vest he wore shattered and tattered beyond a usable level, leaving him in a borrowed black designer t-shirt and jeans too loose to really fit him right. But he surprisingly looked amazing in them. at least to her that is.

"Hey, simmer down you two, Damien, shouldn't you be in bed, resting, not yelling your head off, and you, Ken, you really could be doing more." They both startled and looked at her, Wander instantly relaxing.

"I'm fine, just too antsy to sit in that bed any longer." Ken, or Kenneth, as his full first name was, merely crossed his arms and glared at Wander.

"And you think that gives you the right to come yell at me about _my_ operation?" Wander grunted at him, a cold stare being his response to the glaring posture before him, one Anya had seen every time he looked down the sights of his weapon.

"You're damn right I do. Clearly, something is about to go down here, given the sudden uptake in attacks on you. Tanks? Those aren't used unless they perceive a threat from a group, which you _clearly_ have not been presenting them as you're too busy with your celebrations!"

"Cut it out! Both of you are acting like children!" Anya slammed her palm on the table as she shouted at both of them, both giving her a stunned expression. Several map marking pens and other objects on the table were launched in the air from her strike, several falling off the table. Even the dog had startled because of it, yelping and dropping the tennis ball. "Now, in all honestly, Wander has a point, the KPA doesn't just ramp up assaults for nothing. But, Wander, it could be very possible that it's because of you. I mean, you were able to call for fighter jets and artillery fire. That is a major threat to them. but Wander is also right in saying you need to do more. So, Damien, instead of shouting at him, what do you suggest he do?" Damien sighed, but nodded.

"Okay. First, start selecting targets to hit. First one I would say is this police station here." He pointed to a point on the map as he spoke. "I saw it on my recon mission, and it would make for a good show of force. Show people you don't just fight back, you can attack too. secondly, I need a large building. Department store, something, that I can start training your people how to really fight. Trust me, they need it. all of your old faces that have been around awhile, make them combat leaders. They have the training and experience the others don't have. Now when it comes to the actual raid, I want you to have folks watching that station for at least a week, try to learn everything they have available, and what the closest enemy force is. When we get closer to it, I'll help you plan the raid." Ken sighed as Damien spoke, but nodded.

"Okay. I'll get on that now. just go get some rest. Those hole's in you aren't just going to magically heal themselves you know." Damien grumbled under his breath, earning a chuckle from anya for it. she helped him back to his bed, neither really saying a word as she sat with him on the bed, ending up finding herself asleep, sitting up against him with her head on his shoulder.

* * *

 _Wanderer, Old store, Western Denver, February 2032_

I watched as another group of new fighters were drilled and trained on actual infantry tactics by people I had selected to train them, using scavenged paint ball guns as they learned how to clear rooms and work as teams, as well as how to build traps and other useful tools. I had quickly found several people to train them, people who they themselves had been trained by the special forces unit I had worked with. With the sudden influx of new recruits over the past two weeks, I had needed the help. Most of my wounds were almost healed now, and with the sudden up take of raids and attacks on the KPA over the past month, the KPA were hunkering down and digging in, rather than attacking. The resistance had been doing so well as ghosting away that the KPA had no chance of finding them. something that shocked me was how the people were starting to treat me, almost like a second leader. Which honestly scared me. I was currently sitting on a stolen office chair, on a raised balcony built from store shelves so I could watch the trainees run through a mock building, made out of more store shelving. The current group I had been working with from day one, and was now demonstrating the techniques they had been taught and now used in real fights to the newer recruits.

"Hey Damien." I glanced over and smiled as Anya climbed the ladder behind me. She spent most of her time with me, or entertaining Roxy, given I hadn't really been able to. She had also taken part in the training herself, picking it up almost instantly, as well as running several missions without me, using her sniper rifle to provide covering fire for the operations.

"Hey. Been waiting for you. you ready to go?" she nodded as she finished climbing the later, the two us almost automatically embracing each other and sharing a quick kiss.

"Are you sure you're up to this? it is a long walk, and we have to dodge several patrols." I nodded before letting go of her, slipping down the ladder.

"Positive. I need new gear after all. So lets go." The destination in question was an old bunker hidden in bank that the unit I had been with used as a hideout in the city. It was well stocked with everything, from medical supplies to ammunition and even spare uniforms and showers. And I was the only one left who knew where to find it. as soon as I was off the ladder, I moved to the trap door we used as an exit, grabbing my assault pack and submachinegun from beside it. I had been traveling much lighter since losing my armor, leaving the M-one at the homestead and just carrying the submachinegun and forty-five. It made me feel totally naked, but that's the way it had to be. My assault pack had been repacked with my electronics suite, my helmet stuffed inside. She on the other hand, was carrying just her sniper rifle and side arm, an old empty rucksack on her back so we could carry gear back. I had been shocked to find that myself and her got along so perfectly. We did argue from time to time, but I had never found myself angry with her, as most people managed to do with in minutes. We never slept separately, sharing a bed every night since new years, and had been talking about virtuely everything. Even things I could never say to anyone else, I was able to talk to her about. And we did. we had shared stories from our pasts, good and bad, and honestly, it seemed like we had run out of things to talk about, but we still absolutely enjoyed each other's company. Or at least, I enjoyed her company, and hoped she enjoyed mine. The several kilometer hike was surprisingly calm and quiet, both of us remaining silent as we moved through the streets, too busy watching out for threats. Roxy was trotting off ahead of us, her vest securely strapped in place. When we arrived, I lead the way down into the bunker, Anya politely waiting at the entrance under the ruse of keeping watch, but I knew she was aware of how hard it was for me to come here, after everything that had happened. It didn't take me long to find a new plate carrier, attaching my equipment to it and adding the mag pouches too it that I used to have, just in case I ever needed them again, before shakily approaching one of the bunks. Stephen Tyler had been one of my closer friends amongst the soldiers, and my old uniform had been a hand me down from him, the two of us being nearly identical in size. I sighed as I opened his foot locker, finding several sets of his preferred uniform in the field, a combat shirt and combat pants. The shirt was almost like you had taken a regular t-shirt and replaced the sleeves with the sleeves off the thick and durable sleeves of a military uniform, the pants being reinforced along the common wear points, as well as having slots for kneepads, not needing straps to keep them on their knees. I quickly changed into the clothes, stuffing several shirts into Anya's ruck as well as a pair of pants and spare knee pads, before slipping the plate carrier on, quickly putting my helmet back on as well. A small smile crossed my face as I plugged it in, the HUD system booting right up.

"Thanks Ty. Looks like I owe you some more." A small smile crossed my face as I whispered that at his bunk, sighing before moving off into the armory. It didn't take me long to find several cans of ammo for all of my weapons, loading two of the cans into my assault pack, and several cans of ammo for anya's assault rifle and pistol into her ruck before a case on a work bench caught my attention. I smiled as I stepped over to it, just hoping the optic was still in there. It opened easily to reveal the EO-Tech knock-away Magnifier still being in there, remembering an argument I had while trying to get them to let me install it on my vector, the weapon simply not having the range to make use of it. _Anya would love to have this._ I smiled and stuffed it into her ruck. The rest of my search was uneventful, just searching for medical supplies and other things I might need before I headed back to the entrance, finding Anya and Roxy both there. Roxy was curled up beside where Anya was sitting against the wall, stroking the dogs fur behind her ear.

"Well, you look dressed to impress. All done?" I nodded and set her ruck down, kind of feeling bad for how heavy it was.

"Yeah. I'm ready to go if you are." She nodded, grunting as she dropped the ruck onto her back and followed me out the door. "So I found you a present." She raised her eyebrow at me as I spoke, prompting me to continue. "The holographic sight on your M468, I found a four power knock-away magnifier for it. so it can turn your sight into a four power scope, and then one yank on a release and it's back to being a plain reflex sight."

"Cool! Although, that's not typically a normal valentine's day gift." I gave her a shocked look, not even realizing what day it was.

"It's Valentine's day?" as I said that, I glanced at the date and time on my HUD, almost wanting to face palm myself as it said February fourteenth. "I guess it is. Fuck." She just chuckled, gently slapping my shoulder.

"It's okay. I didn't expect anything from you. I mean, we're kinda a little…. Busy fighting a war after all." I still frowned at her, having wanted to do something nice for her, not drag her out into the abandoned city just to get supplies.

"I know, I still wanted to do something for you though. I just lost track of the date." She smiled, an almost evil twinkle in her eye as she leaned close to my ear.

"I think I know something you can still do tonight." I blushed and grinned at her words, knowing her well enough by now that I knew exactly what she meant as a certain region of mine became rather uncomfortable. We hadn't done that yet in our relationship, but clearly, she was wanting to tonight, and it was something I had never tried to force her toward, despite wanting it myself. The next few couple hours passed fairly quickly, neither of us really saying anything, just enjoying the cool day. "Have you ever thought about what you'll do if we ever win this war?" I almost jumped at her quiet voice, shaking my head.

"No. I've been too busy trying to survive." She nodded, knowing exactly what I had been through. about the two years wandering my way north, the rides I had managed to bum from time to time, trying to hunt, having to teach myself how to skin and gut whatever I managed to kill, even about my time with the special forces. All of it left little time to think of the future.

"Yeah. I guess so. Honestly, I hope I get to have my own family, like what my brother has. Would love a house, out somewhere quiet. I love the city, but I don't want to raise a family there." I smiled to her, almost lost in her eyes. What she had just said was something I had wanted for my entire life, the war causing me to think it would never be possible, but something about her made me think it would be.

"That actually sounds really nice Anya." She returned my smile, opening her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Roxy growling, my hair standing on end. Before I could think to start looking for the threat, an echoing crack rang out, myself instinctively hitting the ground. I heard a pained gasp beside me, looking at anya to see her fall, blood leaking from her abdomen. "ANYA!" I scrambled back to my feet, grabbing her ruck handle and dragging her toward one of the tunnel entrances, a second crack announcing a second bullet, this one ricocheting off the asphalt. Everything seemed to just become a blur, barely even realizing how far I had dragged her before realizing I was in the tunnel system. I almost immediately dropped my pack, digging out the medical supplies and jamming as much gauze on her lower abdomen as I could, in a full on panic. "Come on Anya, hang in there!" she just moaned at me, most of her body covered in sweat.i quickly wrapped a bandage around her waist to hold the gauze in place before scooping her up and running down the tunnel, toward the homestead, and her only hope.


End file.
